How many shirts would the average person own in the 1870s American West?

by jl_12345

How many shirts would the average person own in the 1870s American West? How many pairs of boots? Or pants? I’m very interested in knowing how many items they owned.

And, when travelling for a few weeks/months, would they just take everything with them?

JMer806

This is a little bit outside of your timeframe, but a good reference is The Prairie Traveler by Randolph Marcy, published in 1859 as a reference for settler families traveling to the West Coast.

In Chapter 1, among discussion of other provisions, he lists the following clothing “deemed a sufficient outfit for one man upon a three months’ expedition”:

  • 2 flannel overshirts
  • 2 woolen undershirts
  • 2 pairs “thick cotton drawers”
  • 4 pairs wool and 2 pairs cotton socks
  • 2 pairs of “stout” shoes for footmen
  • 1 pair boots and 1 pair shoes for horsemen
  • 3 towels
  • 1 “gutta percha” poncho
  • 1 broad-brimmed felt hat
  • 1 coat or overcoat
  • various personal items for hygiene and clothing maintenance, including sewing supplies, spare buttons, soap, 2 toothbrushes, etc

This doesn’t directly answer your question, but at least for a man traveling, two sets of clothing was considered sufficient provided that you also carried a small kit for repairing any clothing.

Reference: The Prairie Traveler, Capt. RB Marcy, 1859