Holland, Michigan
At Nelis’ Dutch Village, the theme park offers a variety of activities related to the Netherlands. One essentially Dutch item featured in the park is wooden clogs, also known as wooden shoes.
The Netherlands is a low-lying country, with most of the land being at or below sea level. The farms had many areas that remained wet, and farmers, fishers, and other laborers needed shoes that would keep their feet dry throughout the workday. The farmers would also need shoes that protected them from being stepped on by livestock or from falling tools or equipment. The Dutch also wanted shoes that could be easily taken on and off to help keep the interiors of their homes and businesses clean. Finally, the wooden shoe was an economical option that was cheaper than leather.
The primary wood used to make the wooden shoe is poplar. Poplar is easy to carve, lightweight, and water-resistant. Each shoe is carved from a single piece, individually. At the Nelis Dutch Village, the shoemaker demonstrated during our visit how this was done using older tools and with power tools today. He was demonstrating on basswood, which is another wood used in the construction of shoes.
Shoes were available to try on. I found that my usual size 13 shoe seemed too big for my feet, so I went down a size and was surprised to find that I fit into a size 11-12 shoe. The reason is that the Dutch typically wear multiple pairs of socks when they are wearing wooden shoes. The park employees were wearing, on average, 3 to 10 pairs of socks, depending on whether they were participating in the traditional dance.
We also learned about the custom of the wedding shoes, where a farmer would determine the foot size of the woman he was courting. He would carve her a pair of shoes designed with carvings that signified his love for her. When he was finished with the clogs, he would offer them to his love, and if she accepted, she would wear them up to and a little after the wedding. She would then take them off and keep them, never wearing them again for the rest of their lives. She would do this so that the carvings would be preserved. I asked what would happen if a farmer was not skilled at carving, but our shoemaker assured us that all farmers of that time period were excellent woodworkers.
Shoes were available for purchase in the gift store. The shoes for sale were sourced from the Netherlands; it was cheaper to import them than to manufacture them on site, especially for the volume sold in the village. I knew that we did not have room in our bags, so we did not purchase any to bring home.
It was fascinating to learn about the wooden shoemaking process, and watching the demonstration is included with admission to the village. The shoemaking process is one of several activities that make a visit to Nelis Dutch Village worthwhile!