Cowboy Hats and More

All kinds of hats were seen in the west before the creation of the first cowboy hat in 1862. Depending on the occasion, a gentle (or not so gentle) man might be seen wearing anything from a top hat or derby to civil war headgear, tams or even a sailor hat. But once John Stetson created the first cowboy hat (then termed “The Boss of The Plains”) it became the preferred and most well known headwear of the west and ultimately an icon of Americana. In this case of cowboy hats, fashion followed function. On a westward trip in 1862, John Stetson is said to have amused his friends by showing them how to make cloth out of fur without weaving. He then took his ‘fur blanket’ and fashioned a huge hat with a wide brim as a joke.

Well, the joke turned out to be functional. In the wild west the weather could be terrible and cowpunchers across the plains worked in all of it. The wide brim of the cowboy hat turned out to be perfect for protecting the wearer from cold, rain and sun. In fact, in modern times, the American Academy of Dermatology has determined that all hats with brims of 2 3/8″ or larger meet their requirements of a total sun protection regimen to help prevent skin cancer and premature aging.

Early cowpokes found other uses for the large hats including fanning fires, fetching water in the the crown or sharing water with their most important traveling companion– their horse.

The new hat quickly became a western necessity. Shortly after the turn of the century, the cowboy hat began to be seen as infusing the wearer with a link to the wild west as well as an aura of recklessness & ruggedness. It still stands as a symbol of authority and elegance. Today it is the one item that can be worn in any corner of the world and receive immediate recognition.