Dan Post · History
Why collectors care
Dan Post sits in the Encyclopedia shelf rail next to Justin, Nocona, Lucchese, Ariat, Tecovas, Cuadra, and Sendra. On the secondary market it is one of the most common exotic-at-working-price labels — ostrich, caiman, lizard, snake, shark, and related skins — so identification questions are frequent.
Useful questions: What era is this pair? Who owned the name? Where was it built? How do I separate Dan Post from Laredo and Dingo, and from handmade El Paso customs?
Brand origin
Company materials date the brand to 1965 / the mid-1960s and emphasize “Handcrafted Cushion Comfort.” Dan Post is a brand identity, not a documented master-bootmaker biography.
McRae Industries / Dan Post official materials and contemporary trade reporting are stronger than colorful founder stories on secondary blogs.
Texas Monthly (June 2002) notes that Lloyd Easterling, later running L.M. Easterling Custom Boot Company in Fredericksburg with boots built in El Paso, was a former Lucchese and Dan Post president.
Ownership path
Country of origin on the specific pair beats brand mythology. CowboyBootsDB and some retail copy mention El Paso / Spain manufacturing footprints, which vary by era and SKU.
| Era | What sources support |
|---|---|
| Mid-1960s–~2001 | Western/exotic production house; the pre-McRae corporate chain is thinner in the open record. |
| ~2002 onward | McRae Industries purchases Dingo, then shortly after Dan Post, then Laredo. The western subsidiary was later branded Dan Post Boot Company. |
| Production shift | McRae history: western boots were once made in two Tennessee factories, later moved offshore; Dan Post made in Mexico; Laredo/Dingo in China/India (corporate blog as of 2022). |
Position on the shelf map
| Brand | Rough collector niche |
|---|---|
| Justin / Nocona | Volume American western; Justin Brands family story |
| Lucchese | Premium brand ladder; historic San Antonio→El Paso |
| Dan Post | Accessible exotic + cushion-comfort production |
| Ariat | Performance/athletic engineering under a western profile |
| Tecovas | DTC first-pair / León handmade marketing |
| Cuadra / Sendra | León fashion exotics / Spanish western-biker house |
Known for
Exotics for everybody