For The Forty-Niners

Of course I'm speaking of the San Francisco forty-niners, circa 1849. I would imagine there are probably quite a few people in this country who know the contemporary           San Francisco '49s. I would venture a guess, though, that a fair number of even the most stalwart fans don't know where the name comes from. I'll keep it short: the San Francisco forty-niner's were the hardy, sometimes foolhardy, souls who came to California in search of their fortune after gold was discovered in Sutter's Creek the year before. The California gold rush kicked off in earnest that next year, 1849.

So much for background. The long and the short of it is that a young man named Levi emigrated from New York to San Francisco to supply tents to the hoards of miners headed to the gold fields. Not too long after, Levi Strauss manufactured his first pair of rugged blue jeans. As the saying goes, the rest is history. We all grew up with these. When jeans had their second coming in the 1960's Levi's were to jeans what Coke is to cola: The real thing.

So here I am wandering around Macy's yesterday while Tam was battling non-existent crowds to find non-existent help selecting an item or two. I wandered over to the men's store to look at jeans and there they were: Levi's. Levi's blue jeans looking just the same as ever with their trademark arcuate stitching on the back pocket.

I'm not an idiot. I know Levi's have been on the market, and remain on the market, all these years. I wasn't seeing anything new. It's just that it's been a while since I've given 'em a look.  And then I did something I shouldn't have: I checked for place of manufacture. For $48.00 a pair (special price!) I had to know where these jeans-- these iconic American jeans of the '60s and '70s, the jeans with the arc on the back pocket as identifiable as any other corporate mark in the world, these jeans with the 2 horses on the label trying to pull a pair apart, these jeans marketed by Levi Strauss and Company,     San Francisco, California-- where were these jeans made? Turns out, this historic family owned California company with the iconic American product does what everyone else does to make a buck: Bangladesh. There, and Cambodia. It doesn't seem consistent with the actions of a socially responsible Mr. Levi Strauss who showed such good stewardship of his employees way back when, but, nowadays, it's business.

It's good to know, really. If all you need is jeans, and your only concern is supporting the global economy, shop Walmart where men's jeans start at $9.98, Levi's for under $20.00. It's probably where the forty-niners would have shopped anyway, had it been an option.

On the other hand, if you're interested in the hardy, no nonsense, made in USA product that Levi used to be, check out Pointer Brand.