Blue denim work pants were a staple item for prospectors. While many have thought that Levi's jeans made their debut during the Gold Rush, the company did not make any pants until 20 years after the rush ended. Other materials included wool, corduroy and canvas. Pants were held up by suspenders or belts (but there were no belt loops). Some trousers had a buckle or lace holes in the back for extra tightening.
Prospectors wore shirts in a variety of fabrics, including wool, cotton, linen, leather and "linsey woolsey," a mixture of wool and linen. The curved armhole, common in long-sleeve shirts today, was a novelty back then; the dominant style involved the "drop shoulder." Collars were a separate piece from the rest of the shirt. Prospectors would normally wear red or blue shirts to work, saving white shirts for dressy occasions.
Northern California is never very hot, and at times the wind can be quite bracing, so a coat was a must. Many prospectors wore the sack coat, cut at mid-thigh, or tail coats in a variety of patterns. Blue and black tail coats were a common sight in the evenings. "Duster" overcoats, made of oilcloth, were a popular way to keep the rain off.
The hats the prospectors wore had low crowns and wide brims and were made of straw or felt.
Prospecting footwear consisted of high (knee or mid-thigh height) boots with medium-height heels and squaring at the toes.
"Long john" pants usually were the underwear of choice to wear beneath wool trousers. At other times, the popular undergarment was short pants fastened with a button fly and sometimes a belt in the back.
The only rings that most prospectors wore were signet rings. Wedding bands had not yet come into vogue for American men yet. Shirt studs were a necessary accessory for dress shirts. Watches were of the pocket variety, but they didn't wind at the stem; instead, one needed a key to wind one's watch. The watch pocket in early Levi's jeans was a response to the popularity of the watch.