Re: MtMan-List: misc topics

["Barry Conner" <buck.conner@worldnet.att.net>]

-----Original Message-----
From: Allen Chronister <almont@mt.net>
To: chat <hist_text@xmission.com>
Date: Thursday, December 17, 1998 3:13 PM
Subject: MtMan-List: misc topics


Hello Camp,

As Allen has pointed out leather breeches were popular, I have a pair of
late leather breeches, drop front, comm.made and believed by Mrs.Z.Gates
(author of "Marino Medina Mountainman"), to have belonged to Medina and worn
by his step-son Louie at the turn of this century in town events in Loveland
Colorado.

>reference to leather breeches.  Trench Coxe (otherwise known as the
Perveyor of >Public Suplies) wrote in 1812 of the importance of leather and
the "necessaries or >plain conveniences" made from it.  In that list he
included "leathern breeches."  (p. 3)


Again these breeches were late in his life as were his other items mentioned
by Allen, just because they belonged to a mountainman doesn't make then
"period" to the fur trade, with Medina he came late or at the end of the
period.

>One should be very careful about attributing such things at Carson's coat
or the ever->popular Tom Tobin coat or the Marino Modena gun and pouch and
the Bridger >Hawken to the 1820-30 period

I have seen and handled Toblin's coat, but can't remember the leather
(commerical or home tanned), the breeches are of a commerical type tanning,
light gray to a off white in color, machine sewed on 2/3 's and some hand
stiching on waist band. This was another item that Hanson wanted for the
museum and time just flys, never got to do anything with them. Bill
Cunningham will run an article in the next issue of T&LR about these
breeches I believe. Interesting but would they have been used, Wes Housler
and I have talked about this, as well as Wes and Jeff mention the use of
breeches in their book, "Dress & Equipage of the Mountain Man".

As others have stated isn't this better than having everyone complaining,
research and ideas.

Buck