Are you referring to the Gardner Shackle that was patented July 3, 1866 by , then Oregon State Penitentiary Warden, J.C. Gardner. The shackles were manufactured at the Penitentiary by prisoners.
Each shackle consisted of a heavy iron band that locked around one ankle. This iron band was supported by another iron ring and braces which attached to the heel of a boot. These shackles weighed between 5 and 28 pounds apiece.
The Boot was placed on one leg only. This kept the inmate off balance and deprived him of agility.
At the time the Oregon Boot was invented, the territorial Prison and later the Penitentiary had an enormous escape problem. Mr. Gardner and subsequent wardens felt that the inmate population could not be adequately controlled without using the Gardner Shackle on each and every prisoner.
