Conjure the Old West in your head and what images come to mind? Do you picture a cowboy on the range sporting a wide-brimmed hat and a pair of well-worn boots? Perhaps he’s riding a horse with a ...

Almost 50 years ago, Dave Page — then a professor of American history at the University of Washington and Western Washington University — was bouldering with his girlfriend on a beach in California.

As it turns out, this style of boot also has a controversial history, one that even historians feel uncomfortable pinning down. Some attribute the style to Texas origins, while others suggest Kansas.