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Chaps |
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| In rough country, cowboys wore chaps over their boots and pants to protect their legs from being scratched by the brush or from getting wet and cold from the rain and snow. Chaps could weigh seven pounds or more. They originated in Mexico during the late 1700s, when they were worn by vaqueros, who called them chaparejos. All chaps were “hair pants” or leggings made from animal skins. Those made of goatskin and worn hair side out were called “angoras,” those made of sheep pelt were called “woolies,” and those made of bearskin were called “grizzlies.” Chaps made of plain leather with wide flaps that snapped around the legs were called “bat wings” or “buzzard wings” and were the ones worn by cowboys in Texas. |  Erwin E. Smith (1886–1947) Jack Woffard of the Shoe Bar outfit flanking the trail herd. Shoe Bar Ranch, Texas, 1912 Nitrate negative Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas LC.S59.034 |
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