Korkers

Six decades ago, our founder Sherman Smith watched towering men surf log rafts of old-growth timbers down our Northwest rivers. Anyone with eyes could see falling off would be bad. Real bad.

Fueled by stories of harrowing slips and falls, Sherman set to work carving soles and straps from old tires. He then stapled the pieces together into a lace-up overshoe. Sharp carbide studs completed the prototypes, giving the loggers indispensable traction on slick wood. To this day, Sherman’s ingenious invention stands as a massive innovation that saved an untold number of lives.