Steve,
You're right they were on Victory just east of Lankershim. I couldn't afford them when I was in school so I borrowed my friends pair and between that and an old book of indian craft I figured out the pattern. I made these from memory for myself and a couple of bow hunter friends, not bad memory for forty years later. Almost all of them had the thin rubber composition sole, a little thinner than what I used here. The rubber sole is glues to a leather mid sole that is stitched to the bottom of the moccassin. Fairchilds did make a lot of different moddles including the type I show which was by far the most popular, they made that one any height you wanted, 6" was standard. They also made various models of low, below ankle taditional style and a knee high SW Indian style.
If you trace your foot and take measurements around the instep, ankle and 6" up the calf, I'll make a pattern for you. Moose hide would make an excellent moccassin, deer hide is too thin for normal wear, but ok for camp use, I use Elk a little lighter than moose. The best thing for the sole is thin leather sewn smooth side out as a mid sole, then glue the thin rubber sole to it. Better traction and waterproofness. If you don't go with the rubber comp sole, Buffalo hide would be more traditional to the way the northern plains Indians did it. The problem is that when you eventually wear them thru the stitching you have to dismantle the whole moccassin to sew another sole on. With the rubber sole you just glue a new one on. I guess you could try gluing the Buffalo to the mid sole?
It's too hard to explain how to put it all together here. PM me.
John
