Meet the Makers: Mike Vaughn

Handmade items are a fixture on the Waggoner, with the cowboys relying on handmade boots, saddles, and more. As Jan Batts writes in the book,

Cowboys wear old clothes to work in. Still, it’s not an inexpensive career.

“A cowboy needs a saddle, boots, hat, leggings, spurs to start with,” says Bobby Daniel. “Everything’s really high now. Saddles are really high.”

“We wear handmade boots,” says Ricky Rios. “Handmade boots last three or four years. Store-bought only last about a year.”

Master Bootmaker Mike Vaughn made some of the boots pictured in the book.

Master Bootmaker Mike Vaughn is the maker of some of the boots seen in Cowboys of the Waggoner Ranch. Mike is located in Bowie, TX. The wait list for a finished pair of his boots is about two years long. He began his apprenticeship at the age of 16, studying under Clyde and Joe Vasquez who went on to work for M.L. Leddy’s.

You can see some of Mike’s boots here.

Next week, we’re featuring Rod Teuscher, of RT Bit and Spur. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter and never miss a post!