130
Years
of Heritage
Building the Future
Building the Future
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Our Story
For over 130 years, the Wolverine brand has been the sturdy sole that helped shape a nation. We are born
of work. Hard work. The kind of work it takes to build the things that endure for generations. Our
storied and unwavering legacy in work continues to build our future.
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.


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1883G.A. Krause founds what will one day become Wolverine.
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1903Krause’s factory reaches the landmark production of 300 pairs of shoes per day.
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1910The Wolverine tannery creates a unique method of tanning shell horsehide that makes it soft and pliable, eventually leading to the development of the Wolverine 1000 Mile Shoe.
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1914Wolverine introduces the first “1000 Mile Shoe” made of shell horsehide and so durable it was said to give you 1000 miles of wear.
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1921The company adopts the name Wolverine Shoe and Tanning Corporation.

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.
- • Wolverine Sightline Boots, Bowhunting
- • Wolverine 1000 Mile Boots, Complex
- • Wolverine 1000 Mile Boots, ESPN
- • Wolverine 1000 Mile Boots, GQ Style
- • Wolverine 1000 Mile Boots, Refinery 29
- • Wolverine 1000 Mile Boots, The Fader
We make comfortable and enduring footwear, apparel and accessories
for the men and women who are building the future.
