This fringed, tanned buckskin shirt with bib front opening was made during the late territorial period, the time towards the end of New Mexico’s status as a U.S. territory, roughly from the mid 19th century until 1912 when it officially became a state. The shirt, embellished with glass beadwork, belonged to Thomas A. Herlow of Santa Fe, NM, a veteran of the Spanish American War who was also associated with the Board of Eduucation and several fraternal organizations. The late territorial period was one of anticipation and disappointment for Santa Fe. As railroads extended into the West during the late 19th century, Santa Fe was originally envisioned as an important stop. But as tracks were constructed into New Mexico, civil engineers decided that it was more practical to go through Lamy, a town in Santa Fe County but south of Santa Fe. Local power brokers undertook the building of the 18-mile Lamy branch under the New Mexico & Southern Pacific Company to provide a connection between the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway mainline and the little town at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.