Western wear as a separate apparel category got its start in the 1940s after WWII ended. Rockmount Ranch Wear, Westmoor (Panhandle Slim), Miller and Karman (Roper) initially catered to ranchers, farmers, cowboys and tourists living in or visiting the American West.
In 1947, Blue Bell, a North Carolina manufacturer of denim dungarees and overalls, hired Philadelphia tailor “Rodeo Ben” Lichtenstein to design denim pants for cowboys. Rodeo Ben already had a steady clientele of cowboys on

August 2012
In This Issue:
Western Books & Movies
More In This Issue
- The Mini “Buffalo Gun”
- High Doom in the Andes
- How did Chester Goode, Matt Dillon’s assistant on Gunsmoke, get his limp?
- Singing for His Supper
- A Bonanza Paradise
- Pizza in the Old West
- A Tale of Two Shirts
- Tailor-Made Re-enactor
- Larry Winget
- Bill Anton
- 10 for 10: Santa Barbara, CA
- Why did the three “Outlaw Cowboys” from your May 2012 issue tuck one pant leg into their boots?
- Did U.S. marshals have authority over local law enforcement officials?
- Who is Sheet-Iron Jack?
- Who had the fastest draw: John Wesley Hardin, Wild Bill Hickok or Doc Holliday?
- August 2012 Events
- Following the Santa Fe Trail
- Railfest
- Rodeo Ben’s Jeans
- What are the Staked Plains?