Textiles from the steamboat Bertrand: Clothing and gender on the Montana mining frontier

The steamboat Bertrand sank just north of Omaha, Nebraska, on April 1st, 1865, bound for Fort Benton in the Montana Territory. When the wreck was excavated in 1968, a large assemblage of textile and clothing artifacts was recovered. The artifacts from the Bertrand cargo are now stored and displayed at the De Soto National Wildlife Refuge.; Research focused on the communication of gender on the mining frontier through the use of clothing. Material culture research methods were used to analyze a sample of the Bertrand textile cargo in order to recover the cultural context of the Montana mining frontier, for which the cargo was destined.; By supplementing artifact analysis with an examination of primary historical sources such as diaries and reminiscences, the textiles and clothing were placed in historical context. Analysis determined that the shipment of clothing and sewing supplies was relatively common during the mid-19th century. Women were more likely than men to manufacture and maintain clothing on the Montana mining frontier. Household textiles such as quilts, sheets, and carpeting were found to have significantly increased the comfort of frontier homes.; The relative mobility of men and women on the mining frontier was strongly influenced by clothing and footwear forms. Women were much less mobile in mining towns with unpaved streets due to the volume of their clothing and the inconvenience of laundering soiled clothes. Men's clothing promoted mobility by better protecting the body of the wearer from the elements.; A dress owned by Mrs. Atchison, a passenger on the Bertrand, was likely a riding habit. The presence of a riding habit in the baggage of a middle-class or working-class woman may indicate the availability of leisure time for similar women. A set of possible hunting vests may indicate similar time allocation for men on the mining frontier.; The function of textile work in moderating the stresses of mid-19th century women's lives is examined. The interaction of Anglo-American male settlers, their Native-American wives, and the arrival of manufactured goods through steamboat shipment is examined.