Whats the history behind Whites Boots?
RS: White’s boots started right at the end of the Civil War, back on the East Coast. In 1902, Otto White and his father moved the business out to St. Maries, Idaho. Then in 1915 they moved to Spokane, and we’ve been here ever since. HF: What’s the story behind the Original Smokejumper boot? When did you start making it? RS: Well, we’ve always made it. It’s just the logger boot with a Vibram sole. Originally, when they started firefighting they wanted a good boot, and a lot of the guy had been wearing our boots already cause they’d been working in the woods. So, when they started setting up smokejumper schools, these guys were already wearing our boots. We didn’t go out and search out that market – they just found us. HF: The Original Smokejumper boot retails for $450, a hefty price. What is it about the boot that justifies the price? RS: The thing about our boots is that they’re all hand-built. From start to finish, there’s very little machining in the process. We have guys hand-pickin
