During the California Gold Rush, a man by the name Levi Strauss had an idea. Mr. Strauss needed to make some money when he got to California, so he started to make jeans out of wagon canvise. His pants became a hit and he got the money he needed. He did not know it at the time, but he started one of the best jean companies in the history of the U.S. What started as a hopeless plan to make some extra dough, became a multi-million dollar company.