Today, February 26, is the 195th birthday of Levi Strauss, and I thought it would be fitting to devote my blog to the great man. In 2016 I published the biography, Levi Strauss: The Man Who Gave Blue Jeans to the World, based on my nearly 25 years of research into his life. There are … Continue reading Happy Birthday Levi Strauss!
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Lady Levi’s and the Dude Rancher
I "retired" as the Levi Strauss & Co. Historian ten years ago, but my time there continues to spill over into the research and writing I'm doing now. (Which is why "retired" isn't really the right word.) When I was researching my book American Dude Ranch: A Touch of the Cowboy and the Thrill of … Continue reading Lady Levi’s and the Dude Rancher
Following Fred Loring
Happy New Year, and I hope you will all indulge me as I devote the occasional post to the man who will star in my next book: Frederick Wadsworth Loring, the Harvard graduate, poet, novelist, and journalist who left his comfy home in Boston to be the secretary for the George M. Wheeler survey of … Continue reading Following Fred Loring
“On The Train For Reno”
I told you about dude ranching in the movies in my last post. Today, I'm going to bring you a very specific type of ranch, which figures in a classic 1939 film, The Women. The Reno divorce ranch. In 1931 the state of Nevada did two very smart things: it legalized gambling, and allowed people … Continue reading “On The Train For Reno”
Dude Ranches Go to the Movies
If there's one aspect of American culture that helps spread the word about dude ranches, it's movies. Dude ranching as a business had been around since 1882, but it took nearly forty years for filmmakers -- also creating a new industry -- to see the potential of these places. At first, dude ranches were just … Continue reading Dude Ranches Go to the Movies
The buildings in our lives
Courtesy County of Marin, Cultural Services I think everyone has a house or a building in their life that is special to them. You don't have to be a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, or even follow what your city council is doing with buildings where you live, to care deeply about … Continue reading The buildings in our lives
“I’m so happy there’s a place like this in the world.”
I just got home after spending three fabulous days at the O.T.O. dude ranch, outside of Gardiner, Montana. It was Montana's first dude ranch, and though it was only open for about twenty-five years, it is on the National Register of Historic Places. It's also a legend. And that's because of its legendary founder, Dick … Continue reading “I’m so happy there’s a place like this in the world.”
Happy Birthday, Blue Jeans!
One hundred fifty years ago today - May 20, 1873 -- denim pants got a makeover and became blue jeans. On that date, San Francisco dry goods merchant and philanthropist Levi Strauss, and Reno, Nevada tailor Jacob Davis were granted patent number 139,121 for an "Improvement in Fastening Pocket-Openings." Davis had started making denim pants … Continue reading Happy Birthday, Blue Jeans!
Sally Rand’s…Nude Ranch
Yes, you read that correctly. "Nude Ranch." In the 1930s, as the dude ranch got more popular with vacationers and started showing up in movies and books, one entertainer took the concept and gave it some sex appeal. Her name was Sally Rand. Born Helen Beck in Missouri in 1904, she got interested in dance … Continue reading Sally Rand’s…Nude Ranch
On The Trail With Levi Strauss in Panama
On March 14, 1853, Levi Strauss walked off the Pacific Mail steamship Isthmus and onto a wharf in the city of San Francisco, which would be home for the rest of his life. He then started up his wholesale dry goods company, called simply Levi Strauss, which was the West coast branch of the family … Continue reading On The Trail With Levi Strauss in Panama
Tumblereads: A New Twist on the Old West 