A Boot Collector Feature

Kirkendall Boot Co.

The Omaha bootmaker that outfitted Nebraska’s working cowboys, from handmade Diamond K customs to the everyday Challenger.

The Story

Kirkendall boots were made in Omaha, Nebraska, a city that grew up around one of the country's biggest stockyards and meatpacking districts. That put the company close to both a steady leather supply and the cattle trade that wore its boots. Kirkendall was the boot of Nebraska's working cowboys, and one collector who has studied the brand calls its custom work “the ultimate ‘Nebraska’ cowboy boot.” Surviving pairs date from about the 1930s into the 1950s, which makes them among the older vintage cowboy boots still turning up today.

The Lines

Kirkendall sold boots under several names, which helps explain the “Gladiator” label:

• Diamond K and Bench Made — the custom, handmade line of the 1930s, in premium hides with period inlay patterns, hand stitching, and detailed toes.
• Challenger — a stock working boot of the early 1940s, a short “Pee Wee” style. Plain and practical, with service-grade shoulder leather, bold inlays, simple stitching, square toes, and double-thick soles, it sat alongside the stock boots Hyer and Justin made for the same customers.
• Gladiator — a name found on woven Kirkendall pull labels like the one below. Given the company’s other named lines, it was most likely another of them, though we haven’t found a catalog that describes it.

What They're Known For

Boots built for riding. Kirkendall heels are undershot and tapered to hold a stirrup, and the wide, deep pull straps (sometimes called tongues) were made with spurs in mind. Collectors also point to the strong lines and good proportions of the shafts. Surviving pairs show pegged leather soles, stacked heels, and inlays such as tulips and cutout stars, and some carry a stamped number inside the shaft that may combine the size and a stock number. The company advertised its custom boots widely enough that keepsakes still turn up, including a wooden box printed with Kirkendall custom-boot advertising.

Labels & Markings

A marking from a pair in the TW Collection. Select a photo to see it full size.