"THE JUSTIN STORY: In 1879, H.J. Justin left Lafayette, Indiana for a new life in Spanish Fort, Texas. Starting as a boot repairman, H.J. was a quick study and soon began his own boot company in his home. The first Justin Boot customers were cowboys who passed through Spanish Fort on their way up the Chisholm Trail. When a railroad was built in Nocona, Texas in 1889, H.J. moved his family and business there to capitalize on the enhanced marketing opportunities. Annie Justin, H.J.'s wife, developed a fit kit in the early 1890's, which included a tape measure and an instructions chart for taking one's measurements for a pair of custom fit boots. Cowboys carried the fit kits with them on their journeys, becoming Justin's first traveling sales force. In 1908 John and Earl came to work for their father, and the company was renamed H.J. Justin and Sons. In 1910, the company doubled its production utilizing new technology, and Justin boots were sold to 26 states, Canada, Mexico, and Cuba for $11 a pair. "