130
Years
of Heritage
G.A. Krause
Founder and President
Founder and President
G.A. Krause believed in the possibility of opportunity. He dreamed of
owning a shoe company and tannery that employed his values of quality craftsmanship and incessant
innovation. In 1883, he founded a small company with a handful of employees.
By 1901, Krause organized the Rogue River Electric Light and Power
Company to bring power to Rockford, Michigan, allowing him and his sons to build and operate a shoe
factory. By 1903, they were making 300 pairs of shoes a day. Krause was a true revolutionary, later
selling shares of the company to its own employees, becoming one of the nation's first profit sharing
plans.
In 1921, flush with success, the company took the name Wolverine Shoe and Tanning Corporation. Wolverine’s
headquarters still remain in Rockford, Michigan today.
Wolverine
1000 Mile
An American Icon
EST
1883
In the early 1910s the Wolverine tannery was able to develop a unique method of processing shell
horsehide which made it soft and pliable, something no other tannery had been able to accomplish. A few
years later, the company introduced the “1000 Mile Shoe,” handcrafted with durable shell
horsehide, and named because it was said to give you 1000 miles of wear.
Today Wolverine honors its heritage with a collection of boots and shoes inspired by archival patterns
that are crafted with great attention to detail using the same construction methods as the original. The
Wolverine 1000 Mile Collection embodies the pillars of Wolverine’s heritage — comfort, durability,
function and style.
Shop 1000 Mile
The Leader
in Premium
Work Footwear
Wolverine is built on a tradition of success and a history of innovation. This legacy lives on today in
comfortable, durable work boots with quality craftsmanship for which Wolverine is known. With proprietary
comfort technologies like Wolverine DuraShocks in more than 25 million pairs of boots around the world,
Wolverine is the leader in premium work footwear.
Driven By Ingenuity
Explore Technologies
Wolverine continues to push further and develop new innovative technologies designed for comfort and
protection. Creating improved form, more function, and the world’s most comfortable boots.
Wolverine is a leader in premium work and casual footwear, and a global
lifestyle brand sold in nearly 100 countries around the world.
The pillars on which G.A. Krause founded the company more than 130 years ago still ring true today.
Craftsmanship is at the heart of everything we do. Ingenuity pushes us to go further. And we are born
of work.
We make comfortable and enduring footwear, apparel and accessories
for the men and women who are building the future.
