Cover Page

Preface

Introduction

The Developing Years

Photofile

Bibliography

Notes

Appendix A

Appendix B

Appendix C

National Park Service Uniforms The Developing Years 1932-1970	Number 5
The Developing Years (continued)

Another problem that had plagued the Service from the beginning was the color of the wool used in the uniforms. With each manufacturer's conception of forest green being different, the uniform committee thought it prudent to standardize on one cloth manufacturer in order that the uniforms remained uniform. Consequently, the "American Woolen Mills, Shade No. 168, forestry green" was selected and the superintendents and custodians were instructed to request this material when "ordering their elastique and tropical worsted or gaberadine(sic) cloth uniforms." [11]

Guy D. Edwards, Superintendent, Grand Teton National Park, 1936. Edward's boots reflect the reason for the modification. Boots from this period had a tendency to wrinkle above the ankles, especially on people with thin legs. His sleeve has two stripes and one star denoting 7 years service. This is also the year the small superintendents badge was changed from silver to gold. NPSHPC- George A. Grant photo-HFC#201-T

The reasoning for changing the hat color from "belly" to "side" was not given, but this change in definition initially gave the John B. Stetson Company a problem. Stetson had began furnishing hats to the Park Service in 1934. How this shade differed from "belly", [12] if in fact it did, is unknown, but the color of the hats provided by Stetson apparently was not correct because Hillory A. Tolson, acting associate director, ordered all purchases of hats from that company to stop.

These difficulties were corrected by September and the uniform chairman notified the field that the company had "now developed the exact color desired by the National Park Service" and that his stop order of July 7^th was rescinded. Along with the color correction, Stetson also agreed to replace any hats purchased after issuance of Office Order No. 324. [13]

A special meeting of superintendents was held at Washington, D.C., in February, 1936. One of the items on the agenda was field boots. After much discussion, a recommendation was formulated and forwarded to the director's office regarding the changing of the NPS boot to "a field boot differing slightly from the conventional design, having a specially shaped leg which decreases the tendency to wrinkle".

Companies that manufactured boots were contacted and an agreement had been reached with the Teitzel-Jones Company of Wichita, Kansas, whereby they would assemble the boots to order, leaving the back-seam open. These would then be shipped to the prospective buyer to try on to insure proper fit and satisfaction. After try-on, the boots were to be returned to the factory, along with such suggestions as necessary regarding the fit of the feet and a form showing exact leg measurements. The boots would then be completed in accordance with any special instructions and leg measurement form and the finished product returned to the purchaser. Cost of a pair of boots was $26.00, plus $1.60 parcel post and insurance. [14] Teitzel-Jones furnished boots to the Service as long as they were included in the regulations.

Up until the issuance of Office Order No. 350, on June 15, 1938, National Park Service Uniform Regulations were simply four or five pages of written specifications, but beginning with that Order the Regulations were presented in a booklet format.

Until November 22, 1940, when a new manual was issued, whenever a change was ordained new pages were forwarded to the parks to be inserted in their existing manual with instructions for the parks to destroy the old sheets. This makes it difficult to follow the nuances of uniform development in some cases, during this period. We know what the final evolution is but not what was originally prescribed.

Unfortunately, because of the above, only fragmentary sections have survived. It is assumed that the regulations remained basically the same with only the extant change sheets in the archives being at variance.

Interpreter guiding visitors through the fort at Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, 1958. Even though the Pith helmet color had been changed from forest green to sand in 1940, he is still wearing the earlier forest green model. The arrowhead patch on his sleeve was authorized in 1952. NPSHPC-Jack E. Boucher photo-HFC#58-JB-276

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