The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-06-26
Campfire stores-No. Q.


liked to wear cowboy clothes, and, |
judging from your letters, you all
want to know the correct way to
wear the various articles of apparel; |
why they are worn and what they
cost. In the accompanying Question
Box I shall answer these queries, but
first I want to tell you how the inter-
esting clothes and necessary articles
he carries originated.
Whenever one of you boys need
a suit OF clothes your dad takes you
to the store and picks one out. But
whenever the cowboy on the range
wants something new for his out
fit he scratches his head and pom
logs, Shepherds bibles they are
humorously called by the cowboys,
who are poking fun at their ancient
enemies, the sheepmen. Cowboys
say that all a sheepman has to do
is to look at mail order catalog all
day long, such is their monotonous
life herding sheep. Suffice it to say,
boys, that in the west of the ranges
mail order catalogs are far from be-
ing popular with the rural route mail
men.
For special occasions most cow
boys keep one set of store Clothes"
such as shirt, trousers and shoes. If
they wear q stiff shirt and collar 1t
is called hard boiled" When
cowboy dresses up in store clothes
event in town, he calls it changing
his "togs" However, boys, the reg
ular cowboy clothes, riding equip
| ment and all other necessary articles
for his work are known as his outfit"
One of the greatest mistakes made
| by "tenderfeet" is in thinking that
many of the articles of a cowpunch-
er's outfit are merely ornamental.
| Nothing could be further from the
| truth, boys. Each and every article
| of puncher's outfit is necessary to
| his work on the range. It is true that
cowboys may wear fancy shirts, hats,
J boots and chaps, but not on the range.
These fancy things are kept for the
/ big roundup shows and such great
events The actual life of a cow
work that fancy clothes wouldn't last
/ long.
However, boys, the real cowboy is
| Just as proud of his outfit as the
city man is of his wardrobe. Natural
~. he is just as delighted with
fancy stitched boots as you are with
a new suit, straw hat, or pair of
walking shoes.
To be .'broke and afoot' is the
greatest calamity which could befal
a cowpuncher. This means that he
| Turnout the entire west, even to-
day, there are stores which specialize
only in cowboy equipment. Some
specialize only in certain articles such
as boots, hats and so forth. For in
stance, the cowboy might have his
boots made in Olathe, Kan. or ANA
rillo, Tex; he might buy his hat in
Albuquerque, n. M, or The Dalles,
Ore; he might get his chaps from
| Globe, Ariz., or Tonopah, New; he
might purchase his saddle from Miles
City, Mont, or Pueblo, Colo, or Sheri-
dan, Wyo.; or he might select his en-
tire outfit from Cheyenne, Wyo., or
Pendleton, Ore. I have made these
comparisons merely to show you boys
how the cowpuncher gets his clothes
and where he gets them.
A cowpuncher on his favorlte
| mount dressed in his best and with
complete outfit" is the proudest man
in the world.
Question Box-No. ..
1t is sure going to surprise you
boys to know that it costs more for
cowboy to dress than it does the
/ city man.
i OF course, the city mans wardrobe
may cost more because he INDUCES
| in many suits and shirts and shoes,
but article for article. the cowboys
outfit is great deal more costly.
4 And, remember. each article of the
may be decorative.
| For instance, cowboys wear big
! Stetson hats for protection against
the weather The big western hat
or 1t keeps the rain from beating
On the face. There are three kinds of
| Stetson hats-felt, velour and beaver.
The last named is the costliest. Today
a cowboy beaver hat costs from $35 to
500 and sometimes more. Velour
' y & 70
in price, and felts from IS to s25.
Even in this day of outrageous prices
city men do not pay as much money
for their hats.
II The hat band may be either hair
or beaded, and of course, It has no
particular use except for what it is
| intended.
Most "tenderfeet" believe that the
big bandana silk handkerchiefs that
the cowboys wear around their necks
are for show. You will no doubt be
surprised to know that when a COW
boy is riding range he finds these
''mufflers'' absolutely necessary, since
it is pulled up over the nose and mouth
for protection against the choking
dust.
The most durable and serviceable
shirts for punchers are flannel shirts.
h And yet, boys, it doesn't follow that
|, the silk shirts you have seen cow
boys wear are just for show 1t is
merely a matter of taste. When was
! boy on the Dakota frontier I saw
j punchers wearing silk shirts while
actually working on the range.
Western shirts cost anywhere from
$3.50 to $25.
Leather cuffs and dust rags are
absolute necessities. The feathers
must be worn particularly when rop-
ing steers. else the rope would burn
thru to the bone of the arm. Dust
rags, which are really leather strings,
are tied Just above the elbows to pre-
vent the dust from sitting in all over
the body.