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'''Charles Weldon Cannon''', known as '''Tooter Cannon''' (January 14, 1915 – March 14, 1997) was a widely recognized manufacturer of boots and [[saddle]]s in [[rural]] Dickens County, [[Texas]].

'''Charles Weldon Cannon''', known as '''Tooter Cannon''' (January 14, 1915 – March 14, 1997) was a widely recognized manufacturer of boots and [[saddle]]s in [[rural]] Dickens County, [[Texas]].

Cannon was the last of nine children born to Charles Ira Cannon (1871–1920) and the former Mattie Cordial Snodgrass (1870–1956)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txdicken/spur/c/cannon_charles_mattie.html|title=Dickens County Biographies: Charles and Mattie Cannon|publisher=Rootsweb.ancestry.com|accessdate=April 15, 2009}}</ref> on a working ranch in Afton in Dickens County in West Texas. He was given his unusual nickname as a child by his father. As a teenager, he learned boot and saddle-making techniques to help the [[cowboy]]s obtain a proper fit on their [[horse]]s. He also worked on other ranches in [[Arizona]], [[New Mexico]], and [[Nevada]], as well as Texas.<ref name=obit>Charles Cannon Obituary, ''The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal,'' March 19, 1997.</ref>ccessdate=April 14, 2009}}</ref>

Cannon was the last of nine children born to Charles Ira Cannon (1871–1920) and the former Mattie Cordial Snodgrass (1870–1956)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txdicken/spur/c/cannon_charles_mattie.html|title=Dickens County Biographies: Charles and Mattie Cannon|publisher=Rootsweb.ancestry.com|accessdate=April 15, 2009}}</ref> on a working ranch in Afton in Dickens County in West Texas. He was given his unusual nickname as a child by his father. As a teenager, he learned boot and saddle-making techniques to help the [[cowboy]]s obtain a proper fit on their [[horse]]s. He also worked on other ranches in [[Arizona]], [[New Mexico]], and [[Nevada]], as well as Texas.<ref name=obit>Charles Cannon Obituary, ''The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal,'' March 19, 1997.</ref>

He broke horses for the U.S. government during [[World War II]] at El Reno in Canadian County, [[Oklahoma]]. After the war, he operated two [[leather]] goods businesses in [[Tulsa]], Oklahoma; his clients included the city police. In 1949, he returned to Dickens County and settled in the Spur community. He relocated his shop to Dickens in 1968. After 1970, he concentrated exclusively until his death on saddle-making. '''Tooter Cannon Saddles''' were prized by ranchers and [[rodeo]] riders because they were designed to fit the contour of the horse's back. A Tooter Cannon saddle or a pair of his boots is usually passed down within families. It is rare to find anything made by Cannon for sale on the open market. His work is instead found in a number of private collections.<ref name=exhibit>{{cite web|url= http://www.depts.ttu.edu/ranchhc/TooterCannon.htm|title=C.W. Cannon Boot and Saddle Shop|publisher=[[Texas Tech University]]|accessdate=April 25, 2009}}</ref> Customers often waited for Cannon to fill their orders, rather than finding other available saddle-makers.<ref name=exhibit/>

He broke horses for the U.S. government during [[World War II]] at El Reno in Canadian County, [[Oklahoma]]. After the war, he operated two [[leather]] goods businesses in [[Tulsa]], Oklahoma; his clients included the city police. In 1949, he returned to Dickens County and settled in the Spur community. He relocated his shop to Dickens in 1968. After 1970, he concentrated exclusively until his death on saddle-making. '''Tooter Cannon Saddles''' were prized by ranchers and [[rodeo]] riders because they were designed to fit the contour of the horse's back. A Tooter Cannon saddle or a pair of his boots is usually passed down within families. It is rare to find anything made by Cannon for sale on the open market. His work is instead found in a number of private collections.<ref name=exhibit>{{cite web|url= http://www.depts.ttu.edu/ranchhc/TooterCannon.htm|title=C.W. Cannon Boot and Saddle Shop|publisher=[[Texas Tech University]]|accessdate=April 25, 2009}}</ref> Customers often waited for Cannon to fill their orders, rather than finding other available saddle-makers.<ref name=exhibit/>