Miners Buy Jeans from Levi Strauss

San Francisco 1853 Levi Strauss, a Bavarian dry goods dealer is doing a brisk business selling unsold tenting material that he converted to trousers for the miners. Word is spreading that Strauss, the "Cowboys' Tailor," has designed pants that can take a beating and survive. He is using indigo dye to color the drab brown cloth. The durable twilled cotton cloth known in France as “genes” is loose fitting with plenty of pockets, very usable for tools.