The Origins Of Danner Boots & Footwear

By Robert Greenfield


Danner makes some of the best hiking boots and footwear on the market today. Danner has a long and storied history that began over 75 years ago. Charles Danner in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin in 1932 founded the company. It started with only 5 employees and was initially called the Danner Shoe Manufacturing Company.

By 1936, Mr. Danner moved the company to the Pacific Northwest and set up shop in Portland, Oregon, where Danner is still based today. Mr. Danner moved the company to the Pacific Northwest because he found a large market of loggers and pioneers who needed quality boots to help them do their jobs. He also found that he could sell a pair of Danner boots for $20, a lot of money in 1936.

When Charles Danner moved the company from Wisconsin to Oregon, he knew he was taking a big risk, especially considering this was right in the middle of the worst economic crisis the US had ever faced, the Great Depression. The gamble paid off however, and in the decades and years to follow, Danner grew by leaps and bounds. Danner soon established a reputation for making boots and footwear of the absolute best craftsmanship and quality.

A few decades later, Charles Danner passed the company to his two sons, John and Bill Danner. Eventually, Bill Danner would take the reigns and became the sole owner when he bought his brothers share of the company. By the 60's and 70's, Danner started making hiking boots for the first time.

The reason for this new offering of hiking boots was due in part to the rising prominence and popularity of outdoor activities like hiking and mountain climbing. Danner's very first hiking boot was called the Mountain Light, and it was one of the first hiking boots to hit the market. Many still consider the Mountain Light to be one of the most important pioneers in the world of hiking boots, and it set the stage for what Danner would later do.

Later, in 1979, Danner collaborated with a new company called W.L. Gore & Associates to make the very first pair of waterproof hiking boots. W.L. Gore & Associates is known today as Gore-Tex, and they still collaborate with Danner to make waterproof liners for their boots. Danner would continue to make some of the best boots and footwear available and in 1983 was sold to Eric Merck.

Mr. Merck would continue Danner's high standards of craftsmanship and quality. Mr. Merck would also create new control standards that were even stricter and would help Danner boots become even better in terms of quality. Another milestone came in 1994, when Danner merged with another footwear company, LaCrosse Footwear. LaCrosse Footwear has an even longer history that started in 1897, and the company is well known for its high quality rubber footwear.

Today, the company formerly known as the Danner Shoe Manufacturing Company is forging a new path by continuing to make some of the best boots and footwear available. Danner makes quality boots and footwear out of high-grade materials and by using time-honored techniques and procedures that are often done by hand. They offer a full line of boots for women and men in a variety of colors, styles, and choices. Danner's Stumptown collection is a recent offering of vintage-inspired boots that evoke the company's founding and heritage while also being modern.




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