Cover Page

Preface

Introduction

Breeches, Blouses, and Skirts

Photofile

Bibliography

Notes

Appendix A

Appendix B

Appendix C

National Park Service Uniforms Breeches, Blouses, and Skirts 1918-1991	Number 4
Breeches, Blouses, and Skirts (continued)

Martha Sophia Bingaman, who assisted her ranger husband John W. Bingaman as a temporary, wore her badge on a loose civilian vest to show that she was part of the Service.

Mr. & Mrs. Charles McNalley - Rangers at Tuolumne Meadows, YNP, 1926. Eva Cora McNalley and her husband Charles A. were a husband and wife team of temporary rangers at the Tuolomne Meadows checking station, Yosemite National Park. Eva is wearing a military web belt with a holster for an Army 45 cal. automatic pistol, although the butt protuding from it appears to be a revolver. Her only signs of authority are her badge and the sidearm on her hip. She's probably only wearing the weapon for the photograph. NPSHPC - James V. Lloyd photo - HFC/YOSE#RL-7370

Martha Bingaman, 1926, seasonal ranger, Yosemite National Park. She assisted her ranger husband, John W. Bingaman, who was assigned at the time to the Alder Creek Entrance Station. Unlike men, temporary women rangers were not required to wear a uniform. NPSHPC - HFC/YOSE#943

Francis Pound, on the other hand, wore what appears to be a uniform of her own design. It consisted of the standard boots, breeches, shirt and tie, but with a very long coat, almost to the knees, with slash pockets. Two bottom and one upper on left. It may have been a regular civilian variety, although it appears to be the same material as the breeches, which were probably the standard forest green. Although not shown in any of her photographs, she is known to have occasionally carried a sidearm. [2]

Frances Pound, 1925, Yellowstone National Park. Pound was another child of the parks, growing up and sometimes patrolling with her ranger father, before joining the service herself. Here is another case where, due to the lack of uniform regulations covering women, the ranger was left to her own devices. Her knee length coat with slash pockets is undoubtedly of the standard forest green material. For decoration. she has a badge, sleeve brassard, and a pair of collar ornaments at the points of her lapels NPSHPC-YELL/130,375

Enid Reeves Michael, temporary ranger-naturalist, Yosemite National Park. Michael was hired by Superintendent Washington Bartlett Lewis as a seasonal in 1921, and served in this capacity for over twenty years. She never wore a uniform. NPSHPC - HFC/77-63

Pauline "Polly" Mead (Patraw) also wore the standard NPS uniform, but sported a wide floppy brimmed hat, patterned after those worn by the Harvey girls, on her head.

Pauline Mead, temporary ranger-naturalist, Grand Canyon National Park, 1929-1931. The first year (1929, at left), Mead wore civilian clothes with, maybe a USNPS collar ornament for decoration. In 1930 (at right), however, she obtained a uniform on the man's pattern, but instead of the Stetson, the superintendent preferred she wear a soft brim hat, such as that worn by the Fred Harvey Girl Guides of the Southwest. Mead's employment ended after she married Assistant Superintendent Preston Patraw in 1931. NPSHPC - HFC/WASO I-393 (left) and NPSHPC - HFC/WASO I-392 (right)

Although during these early years there was an occasional cry in the wilderness concerning the uniforming of women in the Service, [3] nothing was done until Carlsbad Caverns and other parks that utilized women for guides and positions that brought them into contact with the public, came under the influence of the National Park Service.

Among the recommended changes to the regulations submitted by the uniform committee in 1927 were two that would have effected women had they been implemented. One called for them to wear the regulation uniform, at the discretion of the director or park superintendent. The other though, would no doubt have created quite a furor if it had been included in the new regulations. It called for female employees not required to wear a uniform to wear a collar ornament [USNPS] "conspicuously on the front of the waist of the dress". [4]

Even when the changes were made, they only replaced breeches and boots with skirts and shoes and possibly eliminated the hat. Photographs show that there were two styles of skirt worn during this period. One type had wide box pleats and the other appears to be simply a full skirt with natural fall pleats. The coats were the standard male style, tailored to fit, although, some were cut on the female pattern.

The majority of existing photographs showing women in Park Service uniforms from this period are from Carlsbad Caverns. These show that when hats were worn, at least at that location, they ran the gamut from chic little light colored items perched on the side of the ladies heads, to standard military overseas patterns of forest green wool.

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