Bootmaker
C. W. “Tooter” Cannon
C. W. “Tooter” Cannon was a boot and saddle maker from Afton in Dickens County, Texas, born in 1915, who worked as a cowboy as well as a craftsman. He taught bootmaking to Slavko Drazic while Drazic worked as a cowboy under him, and a replica of his saddle shop is preserved at the National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock. He died in 1997; pairs of his boots, like his saddles, tended to stay in the family.
Related: Slavko Drazic (Shane O’Neil)
History
Charles Weldon "Tooter" Cannon (1915-1997) was a boot and saddle maker from Dickens County, Texas. He was born in Afton, in that county, and died in Lubbock in 1997; his father gave him the nickname "Tooter." A replica of his saddle shop is on display at the National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock.
A Dickens County history notes that his boots, like his saddles, usually stayed within families rather than changing hands. Texas Monthly's June 2002 bootmaker roundup connects him to bootmaker Slavko Drazic, who learned the trade from Cannon while working as a cowboy near Dickens.
Known for
Boot and saddle maker; taught Slavko Drazic