Woolen Boots
By Caity Stockstell
2024-09-06
By 1874, the Mishawaka Woolen Manufacturing Company produced flannels and yarn. In 1887 the company invented and patented the all-knit boot and the industrial processes to manufacture it. The all-knit boot became Ball Band’s most iconic item for a time, until rubber became a more common industrial material in the United States. They continued to be made, even after Ball Band was absorbed by Uniroyal. They would be manufactured until Uniroyal forced the Mishawaka Rubber & Woolen Manufacturing Company to stop making footwear in 1969.