Although company literature says Russell has been making moccasins since 1898, our origins can be traced as far back as 1850 when the Putnam Shoe Co. supplied loggers and engineers in the Great Lakes states. The Wright Shoe Co. acquired Putnam after 1865, adding work shoes. William Russell, brother of a successful Berlin glovemaker, bought Wright in 1898 and hunting boots became the mainstay of the newly incorporated W.C. Russell Moccasin Co.
Early Russells were sewn with butted seams, like a moccasin loafer, which tended to weaken where the foot bends, causing water to seep in and stitches to break. In 1910 Russell’s Teofil Luzinski invented and patented the “Never-rip” seam, where the toe-piece overlaps the bottom and is sewn with a knotted Saddle stitch. It was a pivotal breakthrough, rendering Russells not only stronger and more waterproof but also distinctive from all other footwear.
The Russell look has attained designer-chic status, adorning the feet of the rich and famous along with the legion of less-celebrated customers who simply value comfort and utility. The former include Presidents Coolidge, Eisenhower, Bush Sr. and Jr.; Generals Jimmy Doolittle, Norman Schwarzkopf, and Terry Allen; record-breaking pilots Charles Lindbergh and Wiley Post, actors Harrison Ford, Robert Redford, Tom Selleck, Zach Galifianakis, and Matt Damon; as well as accomplished adventurers Robert Ruark, Bruce Chatwin, and Earl Shaffer.
By 1922 Russell was already a byword for durability among hunters, anglers, trappers, golfers, and boaters. R.B. Slatter of California had never owned Russells, but he knew their reputation, and they were the first thing he bought that year while outfitting for his epic foot-journey through British Columbia. Slatter covered 1,800 miles in 153 days through some of the toughest terrain in North America – over mountains sheathed in ice and snow, through forest and swamp, across rivers and bogs. He wore out two packhorses but not his Russells. Still on his feet at the end, they were the only original item to last the entire trip.
Russell featured Slatter’s tale in a catalog, and its reputation took flight. Abercrombie and Fitch became a Russell dealer, followed by Sears & Roebuck, Orvis, and Eddie Bauer. Word spread, demand grew. In 1948 Earl Shaffer became the first man to complete the 2,000 mile journey from Georgia to Maine on the Appalachian Trail, a feat which he accomplished in a single pair of Russell Bird Shooters.
The history of the Russell Moccasin boot company is undoubtedly that of the most accomplished footwear in the world. Stitch by stitch, boot by boot, we continue the unbroken tradition of Russell craftsmanship passed from master to apprentice for more than 125 years. From our small town of Berlin Wisconsin, we serve new generations of Russell customers, each lacing up to make their own mark. We just make boots. Our customers make history.
