Pin-Striped Overalls
Historical artifact -- Overalls
Identifier:
2024.10.1Description
Pinstripe overalls from the turn of the century. These overalls would be used for working. The pinstripes are a tan over white. Only two buttons remain on the overalls- one of the left bib and the right side- all other buttons have rusted off. Buttons are labeled "Our Wheeler".Overalls were found in a wooden crate on the property of Bill Rambo's homestead. The provenance is questionable but worth sharing:
Bill had told the donor that a man escaped prison from a work prison to the west and dropped into the Dominguez-Escalante Canyon. He hid his clothes and took someone's clothes off their clothesline. He hid the prison outfit in a wooden crate on the property. He asked Bill for a job and worked on the ranch for an unknown amount of time.
Bill Rambo had a ball-and-chain at his house, but it is unknown where it had come from- it is assumed that the criminal gave it to Rambo. The ball-and-chain is no longer at the property. But because the left pant leg is so torn up, it is believed that the ball-and-chain was around that leg and mangled the clothes. Bill gave the donor the overalls when she found them.
However, there are no identification markers on the textile- no patches or manufacturer information.
Generally speaking, solid-colored jumpsuits and denim separates became common uniforms in the early 1900s. By the 1950s, offenders commonly wore denim jeans and plain shirts. Because of this, it does not appear that the overalls are prisoner uniforms.