Cowboy hats, legendary hats since 1865

Cowboy hats history
The cowboy hat rapidly became a regular and necessary part of the cowman’s daily wear. The wide brim made quick work of fanning a fire, it could be used to whip a horse, wave to distant riders, and yes, even lend an air of grace and prestige to the man beneath its brim. And, of course, during inclement weather, the cowboy hat served as a very effective umbrella.

Beyond its utilitarian use around the ranch, the inclination to fill the crown made the hat a perfect hiding place, as well. It became the chosen spot for concealing money and important papers that would be unprotected elsewhere. As we all know, the first thing a cowboy puts on in the morning and the last thing he takes off at night is his hat; so, it was a natural place to keep his secrets and treasures, hence the phrase 'keeping something under one’s hat'.

The cowboy hat quickly became a valued addition to the wardrobe of any man of the west. Because of the tight weave of Stetson hats, the term 'multigallon' hat was popular, since the hat was waterproof enough to be used as a bucket. Actually, the term ten-gallon did not originally refer to the holding capacity of the hat, since the average hat held only a few quarts; but rather to a unit of measurement by the Spanish and the width of a Mexican sombrero hatband.

Then, like today, a well-made cowboy hat was not inexpensive. In fact, the cowboy hat was considered to be a major investment. The original Stetson hat sold for five dollars. Today, hats of equal quality sell for between one hundred dollars to one thousand dollars or more. Before the heyday of the cowboy, between 1860 and the end of the 1880’s, Stetson hats made of fine beaver sold for anywhere from ten to thirty dollars. The irony is that the hat often cost more than an entire suit of clothing, and it wasn’t unheard of for a man to spend a month’s wages on a cowboy hat.

Shortly after the turn of the century, the cowboy hat, although still in its infancy, nevertheless infused its wearer with a singular link to the history of the wild and woolly West. Even after the 'wild' aspect of the West was somewhat tamed, the cowboy hat never really lost its ability to add that reckless and rugged aura to its wearer.

Cowboy hats in the movies - Ken Maynard, Tom Mix, Bill Hart
With the advent of the motion pictures, and shortly thereafter, the silver-screen cowboy, the cowboy hat experienced a resurgence of popularity. Eager and impressionable audiences saw cowboy hats on the likes of Tom Mix, Bill Hart, and Ken Maynard. The romantic and rugged characters these actors portrayed, helped the cowboy hat and its wearer maintain that 'wild and woolly' persona.

In addition, there came to be a kind of code to the particular shape, size and style of cowboy hat, which provided specific information to the wearer’s background and geographic base. With a subtle adjustment to the brim and a couple of extra dents in the crown, a man could indicate that he was from the northern regions of Nevada, the rough plains of Texas, the wind-whipped ranges of the Rockies, or the low deserts of New Mexico. For example, in the high-desert reaches of northern Nevada, cowboy hats take on a rugged, historic look that seems to be a merging of the vaquero of California and the cowman of Texas. The hats worn by these riders of the scrub sage, tend to have a more surreal yet conservative look; crowns are generally more open or simply dented in on the side, and brims are flat.

In many cases, attempts were made by ranch crews to recreate a 'family crease', generally devised from the classic 'cattleman three-crease', two side creases and one top crease, with a longhorn brim, and were often seen around the stockyards of Texas. It is the the crease, the crown, and the shape of the brim that create the unique accent for the person wearing a particular hat. While styles come and go with the passing of the time, crown heights and brim widths seem to vary only marginally.

Today, while there are many manufacturers involved in making both inexpensive wool and felt machine-blocked hats, as well as custom manufacturers making hand-creased magic, the basic hat remains the same. Its function continues to protect its wearer from the blistering effects of the sun and the tortures of wind and rain. While some of today’s hats remain true to their turn-of-the-century beginnings and others follow their own design features, today’s cowboy hat continues to be seen as the last vestige of apparel of a young and untamed nation. The cowboy hat makes a statement about the tough individuality at the center of every pioneer that carved a life from the new frontier.