Sonoma historian unzips the story of Levi Strauss

Lynn Downey, a fifth-generation resident of Sonoma and historian of the West, will be reading from her recent book “Levi Strauss: The Man who Gave Blue Jeans to the World,” at Sonoma Community Center on Saturday, April 8.

One of San Francisco’s most famous citizens, Strauss spent his early years in Bavaria and New York, eventually finding his way to San Francisco. By 1853 he had started his wholesale business in the city, importing fine dry goods - clothing, bedding, combs, purses, handkerchiefs - from his brothers in New York.

He made tents from rugged canvas for the gold-diggers in the Sierra Nevada. When a Latvian tailor from Reno, Jacob Davis, wrote him in 1872 with a new idea for men’s pants, Strauss saw the potential and the next year patented the design for what has become the world’s most celebrated trousers.

Downey worked at the corporate offices of Levi Strauss & Co. in San Francisco as “house historian” for 25 years, during which time she thoroughly researched its founder’s life. Her full-length biography was published last year. Among Downey’s other books are “501: The Evolution of the Jean” (2008) and “A Short History of Sonoma” (2013).

Downey will share some of the knowledge and insights she gained in her researches during this lecture and slide show for the Sonoma Valley Historical Society, at 2 p.m. on April 8.

The Sonoma Community Center is located at 276 E. Napa St. Admission is $5, free to members of the Historical Society and local docents.