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Mining took its toll on gold miners' clothes. A Bavarian immigrant named Levi
Strauss (1829-1902) came to San Francisco in 1850, and invented a new type of
pants that suited the miners' tough lifestyle. Strauss, the "Cowboys' Tailor,"
used tent canvas as material for the pants, and word soon spread that "the
pants of Levi" could take a beating and survive. Soon, Strauss substituted blue
denim for the canvas and added copper rivets to the pockets so they wouldn't
rip as easily. Strauss and his brothers made a fortune on the rugged pants,
which are still popular today.
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