Mackinaw cloth

Mackinaw cloth

A mackinaw is a heavy dense water-repellent woolen cloth, such as Melton cloth. It was used to make a short coat of the same name, sometimes with a doubled shoulder. Mackinaw jackets were invented by Metis women in 1811, when John Askin, and Upper Great Lakes fur trader asked them to design and sew woolen jackets for the army. They were all to be blue, but when this colour ran out they used red then the plaid cloth that we associate with the jackets of today. Askin was fulfilling a contract he received from Captain Charles Roberts at Fort St. Joseph. These jackets were later made famous by American loggers in the northern part of the Midwest in the mid-19th century logging boom. The term later spread to be universal, and in Canada the "Mac" is regarded as a marker of national identity and working-class values. Such jackets featured in Canadian comedy shows such as "Great White North" and "This Hour has 22 Minutes". The name Mackinaw likely originates from the Straits of Mackinac in present day Michigan, USA. This area was an important trade artery during the 1700s and 1800s. Heavy woolen cloth traded through this area may have been described as Mackinaw cloth.

References to the term "mackinaw" in popular culture:
1. The Music Man in the song, "Wells Fargo Wagon". A character sings that a "mackinaw" was delivered to him by the Wells Fargo Wagon.
2. Canadian folk musician Stan Rogers' song 'Canol Road' contains the lyric, "Now he's a bear in a blood-red mackinaw with hungry dogs at bay."


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  • mackinaw cloth — noun see mackinaw 3a …   Useful english dictionary

  • Mackinaw — [mak′ə nô΄] adj. [CdnFr Mackinac < Ojibwa mitchimakinak, large turtle] 1. of or from Mackinac Island, formerly a center of trade with the Indians of the Northwest 2. of or made of a heavy, napped woolen cloth, often plaid n. [usually m ] 1.… …   English World dictionary

  • Mackinaw — blanket Mack i*naw blan ket, Mackinaw Mack i*naw [From Mackinac, the State of Michigan, where blankets and other stores were distributed to the Indians.] 1. A thick blanket formerly in common use in the western part of the United States. [WordNet …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Mackinaw blanket — Mack i*naw blan ket, Mackinaw Mack i*naw [From Mackinac, the State of Michigan, where blankets and other stores were distributed to the Indians.] 1. A thick blanket formerly in common use in the western part of the United States. [WordNet sense… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Mackinaw coat — n. a short, double breasted coat made of heavy woolen cloth, usually plaid * * * …   Universalium

  • Mackinaw coat — n. a short, double breasted coat made of heavy woolen cloth, usually plaid …   English World dictionary

  • mackinaw — noun 1. a short plaid coat made of made of thick woolen material (Freq. 1) • Syn: ↑Mackinaw coat • Hypernyms: ↑coat 2. a thick plaid blanket formerly used in the northwestern United States • Syn: ↑Mackinaw blanket …   Useful english dictionary

  • mackinaw — noun Etymology: Mackinaw (Mackinac), trading post at site of Mackinaw City, Michigan Date: 1833 1. a heavy woolen blanket formerly distributed by the United States government to the Indians 2. a. a heavy cloth of wool or wool and other fibers… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Cloth of gold — This article is about the fabric. For the snail, see Conus textile. For the 16th century event, see Field of Cloth of Gold. Cloth of gold is a fabric woven with a gold wrapped or spun weft referred to as a spirally spun gold strip . In most cases …   Wikipedia

  • mackinaw — [ makɪnɔ:] (also mackinaw coat or jacket) noun N. Amer. a short coat or jacket made of a thick, heavy woollen cloth. Origin C19: named after Mackinaw City, Michigan …   English new terms dictionary

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