Were duster coats common outerwear on the frontier?
Chris Evans
Parowan, Utah
Yes, full-length canvas or linen dusters were pretty common outer garments for protecting folks from trail dust, especially for men or women who might be wearing a suit or nice clothes for a trip into town. Oil cloth or waxed cotton dusters also protected the wearer from the rain.
The James-Younger Gang wore dusters when the men tried to rob a bank in Northfield, Minnesota, in 1876. Unfortunately for them, the coats didn’t stop bullets.
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Marshall Trimble is Arizona’s official historian. His latest book is Wyatt Earp: Showdown at Tombstone. If you have a question, write:
Ask the Marshall, P.O. Box 8008, Cave Creek, AZ 85327 or e-mail him at marshall.trimble@scottsdalecc.edu
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