The Frye boot tradition dates back to 1863, when an English shoemaker founded the company with a mission to deliver high quality goods to the frontier. John Frye outmaneuvered other shoe and boot makers at that time, and today, the Frye company is the U.S.'s longest-running footwear company. John Frye himself shepherded the company until he died in 1911, after which his heirs took over control.

Civil War soldiers on both sides of the Mason Dixon line bought and wore Frye boots into battle. U.S. Army Marine Corps employed Frye boots during the Spanish American War. President Theodore Roosevelt also had a fondness for Frye boots. He wore them with his fellow Rough Riders when exploring. Frye boots also played a major role in defining the migration that reshaped the demographics and economy of the American West in the late 19th century.

These boots so colored American history that the Smithsonian Institute elected to display a pair as icons of America. Many Hollywood western movies showed Frye boots in action. In the 1970s, the company was twice awarded Top American Designer by the Leather Industries of America

All told, there are half a dozen Frye boot styles manufactured and sold in the United States today. These include engineer, cavalry, harness, logger, roper, cowboy boots, and the ever-popular campus boots. Continuing the 140-year tradition, Frye boots today are manufactured with the finest materials, soled with leather and lined and stitched to last through any inclement weather.