I keep telling myself that things have got to get better. Business calls will eventually be returned, books sales will improve, and McDonald’s cherry pies will never be put on hiatus to make room for some feeble attempt of a holiday pie with a filling no one can identify. But here it is. Another Monday and no improvements. This is the perfect time for another Old West advertisement. American fashions were influenced by European designers, but at the beginning of the century seventy-five percent of all clothing in the country were homemade. Observers said they could detect the potato-sack-like cut of a homemade garment a mile away, especially next to a tailor-made piece or, later in the century, a store bought or factory-made garment. Indeed, until the 1840s, when clothing became more readily available in stores, most Americans wore clothing sewn by themselves or their own mothers, sisters or daughters. The Boss of the Road Clothing House, located in the mining town of Grass Valley, California, opened its door in 1863 and featured the latest styles for the entire family. Among the most popular items sold to women there were calico dresses and a head covering called the “flat”. The flat was a woman’s low-crowned straw hat with a very wide brim. Many men purchased the roundabout; a short, close-fitting jacket, also known as a monkey-jacket.

In 1800, four-fifths of all Americans worked on farms. During the second half of the century, many abandoned farm life to work in the city, in shops and in manufactories. Some of these people found a better way of life. Others became disillusioned. Out of work pioneers poured over the advertisements in local papers searching for a job. Many unskilled people sought work as electrochemical-platers. Objects like tableware and food containers were coated with a thin layer of metal to prevent corrosion and obtain a hard surface or attractive finish. Sounds exciting!

The invention of roller skates is attributed to an unknonw Dutchman of the early 18th century, who conceived the idea of adopting ice skating for dry ground by affixing wooden spools to a supporting plate. The first skates with metal wheels were fashioned in 1763 by the Belgian mechanic and musical instrument maker Joseph Merlin. The first modern, so called rocking skates, enabling a person to move easily through alternative shifting of his weight, were patented in 1863 by the American inventor James Leonard Plimpton. Roller skates sales soared in 1865 after people witnessed the invention at work in traveling circuses. By the 1880s, nearly every city and large town had a roller skating rink. The sport was enjoyed by both men and women. I’ve been having fun with the selection of Old West ads, but want to call journal reader’s attention to the next chapter in the book The Plea. Chapter one is now available on this site. Soon the story will be transformed into a documentary.

I’ve been out of the office for a few days. Glad to return to work. I have a few more Old West ads I’d like to share before I begin a series on great cowboy duos. Chapter one of the book The Plea is now available at www.chrisenss.com. I’ll be adding more to the chapter as the month goes on. And now a word from our sponsor. This ad features a monster stove I can’t imagine would even fit in a pioneer home. Pioneer women endured a lot to take care of her family. She hauled water in to the home from a nearby stream, chopped wood for heat, cleaned clothes on a washboard, and cooked meals over an open fire using heavy kettles and awkward fireplace appliances. An invention introduced in 1820 made things easier for wives and mothers and made the cast-iron cook-stove a much sought after household item. The cast-iron cook-stove simplified cooking because their stovetops were at waist level, which saved housewives from constantly stooping. It also burned one-third less wood. In the 1830s cook-stoves were reduced in price, giving every family more of a chance to own one. By the 1850s only rural families and poor Southerners continued with the old ways.