What are cowboy bib-front shirts?
Allen Fossenkemper
Fountain Hills, Arizona
Bib-front shirts feature a row of buttons down each side to secure a chest protector. They did exist in the West, especially among firemen, cavalry troops and miners, but few cowboys wore them—they wore what was affordable and on hand. John Wayne often wore bib-front shirts in his Westerns.
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Marshall Trimble is Arizona’s official historian. His latest book is Wyatt Earp: Showdown at Tombstone. If you
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