Why did pioneers wear dusters?
Bill Dunn
High River, Alberta, Canada
Full-length canvas or linen dusters were pretty common, starting in the mid-1800s, as protection from trail dust. This was especially true for men or women who might be wearing a suit or nice clothes for a trip into town. For protection from rain, dusters could also be oil cloth or waxed cotton.
Marshall Trimble is Arizona’s official historian and vice president of the Wild West History Association. . His latest book is
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