In the early 20th century, lineman was known as one of the most dangerous jobs. It was said that one out of three linemen was killed by accident on duty. Linemen thus needed high degree of safety from their equipments. The style of footwear that they preferred was lace-to-toe. The design makes shoe lace goes from toe part, ensuring tight holding of feet. Early boots that had this lace-to-toe system appeared in Red Wing's catalogue in early 1940's. Red Wing Lineman Boots inherit the lace-to-toe design from the boots.

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