This shoe sole was recovered from excavations at the Plaster House site, a dugout in Gray County. The sole is 4.25" long, 1.75" at it's widest point and 1.1" at its narrowest. This would be a child's size 4 by today's standards. The occupants of the dugout were most likely the family of Oliver and Anna Mitchell; Oliver Mitchell was described in his obituary as a horse rancher. Settlement in this area of Kansas mostly post-dated the construction of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad in 1872 and experienced a boom during with the construction of the Soule Canal in the mid-1880s.

Date: 1879-1899