There were metal-tipped safety shoes produced as early as 1862, with the 
metal safety cup installed on the outside of the shoe in the earliest 
models. You can view a line-drawing of the one patented in 1862 here:

http://www.google.com/patents?vid=USPATRE1339


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Marsha King" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, October 05, 2007 11:13 AM
Subject: Query re: steel-toed boots (child sized)


> Fellow HISTARCHers,
>
> I have been asked to try to quickly (within the next 20 minutes) find a
> date when steel-toed boots began to be manufactured. So far my quick
> Google search has not come up with anything but modern boot sales.
>
> Does anyone happen to know when steel-toed boots hit the market?
>
> As a bit of background, apparently a high school class from the towns of
> Perry & Lecompton in NE Kansas found a child-sized steel-toed boot no a
> sand bar in the Kansas River.  They want to know (approximately) how old
> it is.  Unfortunately, the best person locally to answer this question
> is off-work with a medical issue.
>
> Can anyone help, or do we need to admit to not knowing?
>
> Marsha
>
>
> *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
>
> Marsha K. King, Archeologist II
> Environmental Services Section, Bureau of Design
> Kansas Department of Transportation
> Eisenhower State Office Building, 700 SW Harrison St.
> Topeka, KS   66603-3745
> Phone - 785-296-8414   Fax - 785-296-8399
> [log in to unmask]
>