By Dan Beard
The Regulation Daniel Boone Uniform
A pair of brown overalls with fringe stitched on at the side seams makes good leggins,
and an ordinary blue flannel outing shirt with a cape like a sailor's collar sewed on at
the neck, and fringes at the seams of the sleeves and edge of the cape, is as much like
the old hunting shirts as they are like themselves. Of course, the shirt must be
worn outside of the trousers (Fig. 6).
Fig. 6.
One of the Sons of Daniel Boone
The regulation Sons of Daniel Boone uniform consists of leggins (Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4) and
hunting shirt (Fig. 5). As may be seen in the diagrams, the leggins are made like
the leather chaps worn by the cowboys, but fit the limbs more closely. The leggins
have to be made so that they can be pulled on over the shoes and clothes, and to
facilitate this the leggins have their seams open from the bottom to the calf of the leg.
This opening is furnished with buttons in a row on one side and buttonholes or loops on
the other. A stout belt about the waist holds the leggins in place. The shirt
is made exactly like an ordinary outing shirt, with the exception that it is adorned by a
cape having a fringe and has fringes inserted in seams of the shirt.
Figs. 5A and 5B show how the fringes are to be fastened in the seams and secured there
by being stitched in place. R and S show how the edges of the cloth are turned in at
the seam, and T the piece of fringe inserted. The fringes in the leggins are
inserted in the same manner. A suit for winter wear may be made of blankets, as are
the Mackinaw coats and trousers worn by the lumbermen in the North woods, and as were many
of the hunting shirts of the old pioneers.
For summer wear, use blue denim inserted with yellow flannel fringes. This makes
a picturesque and very striking outing costume. Of course, the ideal uniform would
be made of buckskin, but, unfortunately, buckskin, once the cheapest material for clothes,
is now far too expensive except for the wealthier boys, or perhaps a few of the poorer
ones who live on the outskirts of civilization.
See Also:
The Boy Pioneers