EVENTS
Bareback Bronc Rider
Rodeo Trick Rider
Bootmaker
In his sixty years as a craftsman, Paul Bond has outfitted hundreds of rodeo cowboys with handmade footwear. Born in 1915 in Seminole, Texas, Bond became a cowhand on his family’s ranch near Carlsbad, New Mexico. As a teenager he broke green horses for the U.S. Cavalry and picked up extra money by making and repairing boots at a saddle shop.
Adventurous sixteen-year-old Paul Bond entered the bareback bronc riding at Hope, New Mexico, and became a professional. Soon he created a popular trick riding act, and in the 1930s he performed for the Hagenback and Wallace Circus. He continued to contest at major venues, including Fort Worth, Boston Garden, and Madison Square Garden.
In 1946 Paul Bond purchased a partnership in a boot company. His reputation for taste and craftsmanship soon spread, and he made boots for Montie Montana, John Wayne, and Roy Rogers. His company relocated to Nogales, Arizona, in 1957. Known as the dean of western bootmakers, Paul Bond still lives and works in Nogales.
