Cowboy Hats in History

Cowboy Hats in History

by | Sep 13, 2024 | 0 comments

Cowboy Hats in History

Cowboy Hats in History

There are few items in the history of American culture that carry the same iconic weight as the cowboy hat. It is the one item of apparel that can be worn in any corner of the world and receive immediate recognition. As the old cowboy saying goes, ‘It’s the last thing you take off and the first thing that is noticed.’

The history of the cowboy hat is not that old. Before the invention of the cowboy hat, which means before John B. Stetson came along, the cowpunchers of the plains wore castoffs of previous lives and vocations. Everything from formal top hats and derbies to leftover remnants of the civil War headgear, to tams and sailor hats, were worn by men moving westward.