• Subscribe Now
  • Today In History
  • Wars & Events
    • The Russia–Ukraine War
    • American Revolution
    • The Civil War
    • World War I
    • World War II
    • Cold War
    • Korean War
    • Vietnam War
    • Global War on Terror
    • Movements
      • Women’s Rights
      • Civil Rights
      • Abolition of Slavery
  • Famous People
    • U.S. Presidents
    • World Leaders
    • Military Leaders
    • Outlaws & Lawmen
    • Activists
    • Artists & Writers
    • Celebrities
    • Scientists
    • Philosophers
  • Eras
    • Modern Era
      • 2000s
      • 1900s
      • 1800s
    • Early Modern
      • 1700s
      • 1600s
      • 1500s
    • The Middle Ages
    • Classical Era
    • Prehistory
  • Topics
    • Black History
    • Slavery
    • Women’s History
    • Prisoners of War
    • Firsthand Accounts
    • Technology & Weaponry
    • Aviation & Spaceflight
    • Naval & Maritime
    • Politics
    • Military History
    • Art & Literature
    • News
    • Entertainment & Culture
    • Historical Figures
    • Photography
    • Wild West
    • Social History
    • Native American History
  • Magazines
    • American History
    • America’s Civil War
    • Aviation History
    • Civil War Times
    • Military History
    • Military History Quarterly
    • Vietnam
    • Wild West
    • World War II
  • Newsletters
  • Podcasts
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
Skip to content
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
HistoryNet

HistoryNet

The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet.

  • Subscribe Now
  • Today In History
  • Wars & Events
    • The Russia–Ukraine War
    • American Revolution
    • The Civil War
    • World War I
    • World War II
    • Cold War
    • Korean War
    • Vietnam War
    • Global War on Terror
    • Movements
      • Women’s Rights
      • Civil Rights
      • Abolition of Slavery
  • Famous People
    • U.S. Presidents
    • World Leaders
    • Military Leaders
    • Outlaws & Lawmen
    • Activists
    • Artists & Writers
    • Celebrities
    • Scientists
    • Philosophers
  • Eras
    • Modern Era
      • 2000s
      • 1900s
      • 1800s
    • Early Modern
      • 1700s
      • 1600s
      • 1500s
    • The Middle Ages
    • Classical Era
    • Prehistory
  • Topics
    • Black History
    • Slavery
    • Women’s History
    • Prisoners of War
    • Firsthand Accounts
    • Technology & Weaponry
    • Aviation & Spaceflight
    • Naval & Maritime
    • Politics
    • Military History
    • Art & Literature
    • News
    • Entertainment & Culture
    • Historical Figures
    • Photography
    • Wild West
    • Social History
    • Native American History
  • Magazines
    • American History
    • America’s Civil War
    • Aviation History
    • Civil War Times
    • Military History
    • Military History Quarterly
    • Vietnam
    • Wild West
    • World War II
  • Newsletters
  • Podcasts
Posted inReview

Book Review: Jeans of the Old West, by Michael Allen Harris

Author Michael Allen Harris steps into the history of jeans, farther back even than the very first pair of Levi Strauss' denims in the 1870s.
by HistoryNet Staff10/6/20114/12/2016
Share This Article

Jeans of the Old West: A History, by Michael Allen Harris, Schiffer Publishing, Atglen, Pa., 2010, $34.99

There’s nothing like a pair of old jeans—especially ones that have been around for more than 130 years. As the San Francisco madam might have said to the prospector just down from the high Sierras, “Are those gold nuggets in your Levis, or are you just glad to see me?” But she wouldn’t have said that in the early years of the California Gold Rush. The Forty-Niners wore less satisfactory work pants, mostly shipped from the East. But by the early 1870s, San Francisco–based Levi Strauss & Co. was selling more riveted jeans than any other kind of trousers. Jacob Davis of Reno, Nev., was actually the first tailor to make riveted denim jeans, but Levi Strauss had the foresight to hire Davis as his foreman and to patent the popular brand in 1873, forcing competitors to find other means of reinforcing work pants. Jacob Greenebaum sewed leather triangles over the pocket corners. David Neustadter used a double thickness of material on the inside of pocket tops. Still, all the other jean makers were delighted when the Levi Strauss patent ran out in 1890, and they, too, could make riveted “miners’ denim.”

Author Michael Allen Harris writes about the inventors and manufacturers of strengthened work pants, from the well-known Levi Strauss to the almost forgotten Yung Chow. More than 300 illustrations, including some of rare pre-1873 jeans, accompany the text. Levi Strauss bought one of its own pair of 1890s jeans at auction for $50,000, Harris says. So there just could be gold in them thar old jeans. As for Harris’ book, it will wear well on any bookshelf.

—Editor

Share This Article
by HistoryNet Staff

Brought to you by the editors of HistoryNet's nine magazine titles. From ancient warfare to the 21st century, these experts enliven and enrich your favorite historical subjects with fascinating stories you haven’t heard before.

more by HistoryNet Staff

    Dive deeper

    • American History

    Citation information

    HistoryNet Staff (6/22/2025) Book Review: Jeans of the Old West, by Michael Allen Harris. HistoryNet Retrieved from https://www.historynet.com/jeans-of-the-old-west-by-michael-allen-harris/.
    "Book Review: Jeans of the Old West, by Michael Allen Harris."HistoryNet Staff - 6/22/2025, https://www.historynet.com/jeans-of-the-old-west-by-michael-allen-harris/
    HistoryNet Staff 10/6/2011 Book Review: Jeans of the Old West, by Michael Allen Harris., viewed 6/22/2025,<https://www.historynet.com/jeans-of-the-old-west-by-michael-allen-harris/>
    HistoryNet Staff - Book Review: Jeans of the Old West, by Michael Allen Harris. [Internet]. [Accessed 6/22/2025]. Available from: https://www.historynet.com/jeans-of-the-old-west-by-michael-allen-harris/
    HistoryNet Staff. "Book Review: Jeans of the Old West, by Michael Allen Harris." HistoryNet Staff - Accessed 6/22/2025. https://www.historynet.com/jeans-of-the-old-west-by-michael-allen-harris/
    "Book Review: Jeans of the Old West, by Michael Allen Harris." HistoryNet Staff [Online]. Available: https://www.historynet.com/jeans-of-the-old-west-by-michael-allen-harris/. [Accessed: 6/22/2025]

    Related stories

    Stories

    Portfolio: Images of War as Landscape

    Whether they produced battlefield images of the dead or daguerreotype portraits of common soldiers, […]

    Stories

    Jerrie Mock: Record-Breaking American Female Pilot

    In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earhart’s disappearance.

    Pony Express National Historic Trail in Wyoming
    Portfolio

    This Patient Rider Spent Months Retracing the Pony Express on Horseback

    In 2019 Will Grant embarked on a 142-day, 2,000-mile horseback journey from the Pony Express stables in St. Joseph, Mo., to trail’s end in Sacramento, Calif.

    Buffalo Bill Cody
    Stories

    10 Pivotal Events in the Life of Buffalo Bill

    William Frederick Cody (1846-1917) led a signal life, from his youthful exploits with the Pony Express and in service as a U.S. Army scout to his globetrotting days as a showman and international icon Buffalo Bill.

    HistoryNet
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • YouTube

    “History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.”

    David McCullough, author of “1776”

    HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the world’s largest publisher of history magazines. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines.

    Our Magazines

    • American History
    • America’s Civil War
    • Aviation History
    • Civil War Times
    • Military History
    • Military History Quarterly
    • Vietnam
    • Wild West
    • World War II

    About Us

    • What Is HistoryNet.com?
    • Advertise With Us
    • Careers
    • Meet Our Staff!

    Stay Curious

    Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians.

    sign me up!

    © 2025 HistoryNet.
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Service