The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1924-04-24
NO FASHIONS IN
PIONEER TIMES
NO SOCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR WO-
MEN OF EARLY DAY MIN
ING CAMPS.
There Were no Dressmakers or Tail
ors in Bannack and Styles Re-
manned Stationary; Beau Brum-
mels Wore Fringed Buckskin.
BY Martha Edgerton PIassmann

BY Martha Edgerton Plassmann
1t has been said, with how much
truth the reader can decide from
his, or her, own experience and OBJ
servatiOn, that people do not dress
for themselves, but for others. In
other words they do not crave per-
sonaI adOrnment because of any in
nate love of the beautiful, but to
awaken the admiration or envy of
those they meet. 1t is not "art for
arts sake" but for some n else.
This would seem to have been ex-
empIified by the earliest pioneers,
where it was the men, and not the
women, who INDUCED in whatever
extravaganza in dress was possible.
The reason for this was easily ex-
planned. There were absolutely no
social activities of any description
to draw women together. At first
there were no religious services, and
when these were held, but few at
tended them, mainly men.
Occasionally, perhaps twice a year,
a dance was given which respectable
women might attend; but even there
evening dress would have been sadly
out of place. A print dress was good
enough for any entertainment. Such
finery as ome brought with them
from their eastern or southern homes
was kept laid away in trunks, or sold
at fabulous prices to members of the
demi-monde.
Fashion Of dress remained station
airy. Godey's Lady's Book, the au-
thority on the subject, did not reach
Bannack, so far as I know. Women
chung tenaciously to what was in style
when they started west, and all wore
crinoline. 1t was the day of full
skirts and tight waists.
To my knowledge there were no
dressmakers in Bannack, and had
there been, the little general mer-
chandise shops made no display of
dry goods to tempt the women. They
catered to the simplest needs of men;
the male sex being greatly in the ma
jority.
OF Pioneer Days
If Bannack had a tailor, I never
knew it; but there were ways in
which a man could outshine his fell
lows, and establish his superiority.
He could be the proud owner of a
buckskin shirt, trimmed at collar and
cuffs with beaver or otter fur; he
could wear a sombrero with a wider
brim than any one else in the COM
munity sported, decorated, perhaps,
in Mexican fashion; or a full suit of
buckskin, lavishly adorned with
might give him social prest-
and the one fat man of the town,
who was unable to buy a coat large
enough to fit him, and who evidently
did not care for buckskin garments,
his standing as a gentle
man, by wearing, winter and sum-
mer, a white shirt.
This man was Justified In his OBJ
lection to ~buckskin, as after all it
was a fair weather material. Expos
ure to rain caused it to shrink, and
became hard. 1t was better designed
for the variety of patches that length
ened the life of wool coats and trous-
ers, and added to their picturesque
appearance. The male fashion plate
Of conventional attire, was Henry
confessed1y the best dress
ed man in town; while his lieutenant
Stinson led in border style, of
buckskin suit, and sombrero.
In wearing the fine feathers the
men unwittingly followed a primi-
i've instinct, and this did not make
them selfish. There were few of