Description
The early history of iron mining on Minnesota’s Mesabi Range is intertwined with that of Red Wing Shoe Company. The miners needed tough but comfortable boots that could stand up to the long days and tough conditions a northern Minnesota mine pit presented. Red Wing responded with a boot made of thick leather with an oil resisting outer sole, speed lacing hooks, and a comfortable cork midsole. The defining characteristic of these boots though, was their double layered toe, capped to protect the miner’s feet from injury as they labored with hand tools and heavy machinery. That boot is still made today, the fittingly named Iron Ranger, and it represents not only Red Wing’s commitment to making boots for working men and women but also its Minnesota origins.
Specifications
- Leather: Hawthorne Muleskinner
- Outsole: Vibram® 430 Mini-lug
- Insole: Leather
- Hardware: Nickel Eyelets and Hooks
- Construction: Goodyear Welt
- Last: 8
- Made in USA
Material
Roughout leather is created using a reverse-suede technique at our very own S.B. Foot Tanning Co. While most tanneries split, thin and weaken the hide to create the rough suede surface, we simply use the other side of the hide. By doing so, we avoid splitting or thinning our full-grain hides. This makes our Roughout leather just as strong and durable as our other leathers.