Cowboy Clothes 1800s
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Cowboy Clothes 1800s for Kids:
Cowboy Clothes
The legends and image of the Cowboy Clothes 1800s are made
memorable by the Cowboy clothes they wore - see the
picture on your right.. Cowboy clothes had to be hard wearing and highly
practical. The cowboy's jobs involved riding on horses for hundreds of
miles and their clothes had to be suitable for withstanding all
types of weather conditions.
Cowboy Clothes 1800s for Kids:
Cheap Cowboy Clothes
At the end of the Civil War, the
south was suffering from severe economic hardship, and former
soldiers moved west seeking work. Many wore items of clothing
from their old, hard wearing military uniforms. The majority of
clothes worn by cowboys were very cheap or second-hand. The cowboy clothes
gradually changed over the years as cheap, mass-produced
clothing was made in factories making cowboy clothes more accessible
and less expensive. The different types of apparel used in
authentic cowboy clothes are fully detailed below together with
history of Cowboy Clothes of the 1800's. For additional
history, facts and information about the life of the
cowboys refer to
Cowboys of the Old West
Authentic Cowboy Clothes:
Description, History and Facts
Cowboy Clothes:
Cowboy Hats - At
first there was no standard cowboy hat - most wore
old Civil War hats but second hand top hats and
derbies were also a common sight until the
custom-made cowboy hat called the Stetson was
introduced.
● The Hats used by cowboys were highly practical and
could be shaped according to taste or modified according to weather conditions,
shielding their eyes from the heat or glare of the
sun.
● Hats were made of soft felt and a plain hatband
was fitted to adjust to the head size.
● The brims
could be turned down as protection against the rain.
Styles of hats changed according to the conditions
in the area
● A tall crown provided
insulation, a wide brim provided shade
● In the Southwest, their hats had tall crowns and wide brims as protection
from the sun. In the North, brims were narrow and
crowns lower so they would not blow away in the wind
● The hats worn by cowboys
were also used to gesture to other cowboys on a
cattle drive, as a form of communication
Cowboy Clothes:
The
Stetson - John
Batterson Stetson (1830 - 1906) invented the Stetson
hat. The first real cowboy hat was named the
"Boss of the Plains" and manufactured by Stetson in
1865. The Stetson was creased right down the center
of the crown with a dent on each side making it easy
to remove by grasping the hat by the crown rather
than the brim. It was immediately popular and became
the iconic image of the Cowboys Old West.
Cowboy Clothes:
Cowboy pants -
Military uniforms were first used as pants or
alternatively woolen trousers were worn as standard
items of clothing. Blue jeans were not available to
a cowboy in the mid-1800s. Levi Strauss introduced
jeans to miners in 1868. The jeans were durable
pants made of canvas with rivets to hold them
together. The first jeans were died brown, not blue,
and this type of clothing only became available to
the cowboy in the mid 1870's
Cowboy Clothes:
Cowboy Shirts - Old
Military shirts, or those purchased second hand from
old soldiers or traders. Other shirts were
always long sleeved and the winter clothing was made
of fabrics such as wool, linsey-woolsey, cotton or
hickory. The shirts used by cowboys included a striped ‘hickory’
shirt, or gingham shirt or a checked calico shirt in
a variety of colors.
Cowboy Clothes:
Cowboy Vests -
The vests used by cowboys were a practical addition to his
clothes. Riding on a horse made it difficult to
reach into pants or trouser pockets. The vest was
added with deep pockets that were easily accessible
and prevented stuff from falling out.
Authentic Cowboy Clothes:
Description, History and Facts
Authentic Cowboy Clothes:
Description, History and Facts
Cowboy Clothes:
Cowboy Jackets -
Heavy canvas jackets were added as protection
against the weather and thorn and cactus spines for
riding through desert terrains.
Cowboy Clothes:
Cowboy Coats -
Military great coats were put into use or
knee-length coats made from sheepskin or wool. These
items were added to the bedroll tied to the horse.
Blanket coats, a long garment made of heavy brown
canvas lined with flannel were also worn.
Cowboy Clothes:
Cowboy Raincoats -
Raincoats used by cowboys were called 'Slickers' and were made of weather
proof oilskin
Cowboy Clothes:
Cowboy Underwear -
Underwear worn by cowboys consisted of a flannel shirt and drawers
but no undershirt
Cowboy Clothes:
The
Bandana - The
bandana handkerchief, or scarf, was made of silk or
cotton and tied around the neck in a hard knot at
the front and could be lifted to cover mouth and
nose from the dust, a common feature of the
cattle drives. But there were also many other
reasons that made the bandanna an important item of
cowboy clothes. The bandana came in a variety of
bright colors, but usually red, making the cowboy
more visible in bad weather, they prevented sunburn
and they were used to mop the sweat from the brow.
Additional uses of the bandana were as
washcloths and tourniquets.
Cowboy Clothes:
Chaps -
Chaps, or Chaparejos, were long leggings worn over
pants for protection against thorns and cactus. The
first type of chaps, called "Shotguns", were
straight leather pants, flared at the bottom, that
could be stepped into. The "Shotguns" were replaced
by the batwing versions of chaps which were leather
leggings without a seat, joined by a belt and often
had flared outer flaps. Types of chaps varied
according to the region they were worn. In the
Southwest, chaps made of smooth leather whereas in
the North they were made of wool or fur.
Cowboy Clothes:
Cowboy Boots -
The boots used by cowboys were highly practical riding boots. The
boots feature two inch high Cuban heels in order to
rest the boots in the stirrups or to dig into the
ground while roping a calf. Cowboy boots were not
made for walking. The boot was designed the boot to
allow for easy insertion and removal of the foot
into the stirrup of the saddle, the toe was rounded
and a bit narrowed to make it easier to insert.
Pants were generally worn tucked into the boot to
avoid snagging from thorns and cactus spines. A pair
of mule ear flaps at the top of some boots helped
with pulling them on. The stylish decorations of the
boot were reminiscent of the highly decorative
Spanish boots worn by the Vaqueros.
Cowboy Clothes:
Cowboy Gloves - The
horsemen of the Old West often wore riding gloves or
mittens. They were made of the finest weather-proof
buckskin to protect from the cold and rain. The
gloves were usually tanned white and cut with a deep
cuff or gauntlet, sometimes decorated with a fringe
Cowboy Clothes:
Cowboy Gun Belt - The
wide, heavy leather belt used by cowboys was not worn to hold
up pants or trousers. The belt was designed to carry
his gun holster. The belt was not buckled about his
waist, it was worn loose and hung low on the
hip. The belt had loops for about 50 cartridges and,
with the gun, weighed several pounds.
Cowboy Clothes:
Cowboy Gun - The
most popular gun used by cowboys was the Colt Peace Maker (aka Colt
45), a deadly revolver capable of carrying six
shots. It was a single action gun that required the
shooter to cock the hammer before pulling the
trigger to fire. The length of the gun barrel was
eight inches and bullets were 45 caliber which could
kill with one shot.
Authentic Cowboy Clothes:
Description, History and Facts
Cowboy Clothes 1800s - President Grover Cleveland Video
The article on the Cowboy Clothes 1800s provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following
Grover Cleveland video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 22nd and 24th President of the
United States whose presidencies spanned from March 4, 1885 to March 4, 1889
and from March 4, 1893 - March 4,1897.
Cowboy Clothes 1800s
●
Interesting Facts about Cowboy Clothes 1800s for kids and schools
●
Summary of the Cowboy Clothes 1800s in US history
●
The Cowboy Clothes 1800s, a major
event in US history
●
Grover Cleveland history timeline
of major events
●
Fast, Cowboy Clothes 1800s
about major events in his presidency
●
Foreign & Domestic
policies of President Grover Cleveland
●
Grover Cleveland Presidency and
Cowboy Clothes 1800s for schools,
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