| Cothing and Persononal Equipment, page 3 Back to page 2 Back to page 1 Home |
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| Frock Coat- wool suit cloth. Clothing items made of cloth were common in the far west- although as an import from the states. This rare frock coat shows the common aspects of a man's coat of the early-mid 19th century. Wide lapel collar, tight fitted body, yoke back and bloused skirt. Virtually all cloth frock coats were double breasted. The length of this coat is nearly to the knee. Coats like this went west on the backs of many new mountain men, later to be replaced with hide coats of the same pattern, fashioned by Indian women. This was also an essential uniform for most traders of stature with the tribes. |
| Buckskin Jacket This simple jacket is made from braintanned buckskin, and is of upper thigh length. This jacket has ties that close the front as was common. The tailoring is minimal, yet it is not of the square cut style used by the tribes. Frock coats and jackets of leather were the most common outer garments, and the wearing of Indian "war shirts" would have been rare at best. |
| Hide Leggings The wearing of leggings over britches, trousers or pantaloons would appear to have been common among the trappers. Leggings protected the lower pant legs and could easily be slipped on or off for trapping in the streams or ponds. This pair, made of braintanned buckskin are of a Cheyenne style, and have brass buttons and scalplocks along the sides. They reach high on the thigh as was common for western styles. |
| Hide Pantaloons Some may assume the term pantaloons applied to Great Grandma's underwear- but not the case. We derive our modern term "pants" as a short version of pantaloons- being men's legwear, form fitted or shaped to the leg (trousers being straight or stove pipe leg shape). Many cloth pantaloons had an underfoot strap- but certainly not all. Like the frock coat, most pants were likely patterned by Indian women from worn out cloth types- usually with fringe on the outside seam. |
| Wool Cloth Vest- shawl collar style. Vests appear to have been popular with some trappers. The records of Fort Hall show several purchases by working trappers of vests. This is the basic form of most vests in the 1830s- either single or double breasted, with a shawl collar. Nearly all were made from wool. |