Fenoglio Boot Company: A story of family, tradition, and quality
The Fenoglio Boot Company story begins in the 1870s, when the Fenoglio family first came to America before Ellis Island had even opened. Once in America, the industrious Fenoglio clan began to work in the coal mines of Illinois, but soon made the move to Montague County after receiving word from fellow Italians that the Texas community was an ideal place to call home.
After the first Fenoglios arrived in Nocona, they tasted the soil, and immediately realized that it was well suited for the growing of grapes. Thus, the initial Fenoglios of Nocona became farmers and laborers that pursued the American dream through hard work on the rugged Montague countryside. The life of our ancestors was hard and difficult, but they were determined to be successful and for their adopted home of Nocona to be successful as well.
At the same time that the three Fenoglio brothers of Antone, Jack, and Barney were establishing themselves in Montague County, the city of Nocona was also starting to gain a reputation as the home of the finest cowboy boots available. Boot making had become a thriving industry in this small Texas town that was also a key stop on the famed Chisholm Trail that Texas cattle ranchers used for their drives north to the stockyards in Oklahoma. In order to supply these rugged cowboys that demanded the highest quality boots possible, Miss Enid Justin founded the Nocona Boot Company in 1925, and ever since, boot making has been the lifeblood of Nocona earning our town the nickname of “The Leather Goods Capital of the Southwest.”
The Fenoglio Boot Company continues this legacy of high quality and exceptionally crafted handmade cowboy boots that was established by our ancestors. As Fenoglios, we are honored to carry on the Nocona tradition of boot making. Our family has lived in Nocona for seven generations, and we love it here and have never dreamed of leaving. Instead, we have focused only on improving and growing our beloved community so that other families can enjoy the small town majesty that Nocona offers.
With the Fenoglio Boot Company, we have been given an opportunity to build upon a business and an industry that has been in Nocona since 1887. Nocona is known for the fine craftsmanship of leather goods, and we only wish to continue and improve upon this legacy!
Today, the Fenoglio Boot Company is the proud manufacturer of the James Montague Boot line- the most authentic, unique, and highest quality handmade Texas cowboy boots available. All boots are made at the Fenoglio Boot factory in Nocona, TX where boot making has been a way of life for more than one hundred years. At Fenoglio Boot, we are proud that our boot making heritage can be traced back to the late 1800s, and we strive to carry on this history of quality craftsmanship with every pair of boots we make.
As one of the last domestic cowboy boot manufacturers left in Texas and America for that matter, we hope to serve as a reminder to American customers that top quality cowboy boots can still be made in America at a competitive price and that through a focus on values such as loyalty, integrity, and hard work; the way of life and small town grandeur of places like Nocona can be protected and preserved.
So when customers see the James Montague brand and the “Made in Nocona” mark, they can rest assured that their boots are not just some products off an assembly line, but are authentic, handmade representations of the tradition, quality, value, and pride of the craftsmen at Fenoglio Boot and the town of Nocona, TX.
