1939 Engineer Boot

The 1939 Engineer Boot features exhaustively executed naildown construction, which creates a super sleek silhouette compared to Wesco's usual stitchdown construction. Built on Wesco's #1339 shoe last, the boot stands 10 inches in height with a gusseted opening for easy entry. The hand-nailed construction includes triple stitching on vamp and counters, reverse V backstay stitching, and double top stitching throughout.

The boot is equipped with solid brass roller buckles and triple-needle stitching for durability. It features a Vibram 705 half sole and comes with a vintage deadstock 'Nailed Sole' label from Wesco's own archive. The standard version is crafted with British tan leather upper, though special editions have been produced using Horween black horsehide.

Every 1939 Engineer Boot is made from top quality, full grain leather by dedicated Wesco bootmakers working through a 155 step-by-step process requiring skill, strength, and discipline. The manufacturing takes place at Wesco's facility in Scappoose, Oregon, where the company has operated since 1931 after relocating from Portland during the Great Depression.

The naildown construction method represents a throwback to Wesco's original construction techniques used from the company's founding in 1918 until the 1980s, when they switched to stitchdown construction for most production. For their 100th anniversary models, Wesco returned to the original nailed construction, acknowledging that these methods paved the way for Wesco to reach their current position in American bootmaking.

Wesco celebrated 100 years of business by resurrecting the classic Engineer Boot design, making the 1939 model part of their centennial anniversary collection. The anniversary edition maintains authentic historical details while meeting modern quality standards, representing the company's dedication to preserving heritage craftsmanship traditions established by founder John Henry Shoemaker.

The company has remained family-owned for four generations since Shoemaker established West Coast Shoe Company in Portland, Oregon in 1918. Shoemaker had accumulated about 10 years of bootmaking experience before founding the company, initially focusing on specialized boots for the logging industry before expanding to serve welders and other industrial workers.