Figure 1.--Here we see boys wearing a cowboy hats at a Fourth of July picnic in 1903. The snapshot was taken at Alpine Park, Salida, Colorado. Notice that the boy sitting down wears a white print shirt and knee pants held up by rather substantial suspenders. He may be wearing a stiff collar with a tie, although the collar and tie are a little hard to see in detail. He wears black long stockings. The boy standing wears a suit with a sailor-suit type collar and what appears to be a dickey underneath. His blouse seems to be gathered at the bottom and tied at the waist. I wonder if the cowboy hats are a special feature for the 4th of July picnic, or regular wear for small boys. I suspect the former.

The cowboy hat as we know it today seems to have appeared in the 1860s. This is the same time as the Civil War and may have evolved out of the uniforms of calvary units. The classic cowboy hat was made by the Stetson company. This American classic is now rarely seen except in some of the Western states. American boys now only want to wear baseball caps.

History

John Stetson

John B. Stetson was one of 12 children of Stephen and Susan Balderson Stetson. He was born in 1830 in Orange, New Jersey. His father was a batter and John left school early to learn the batter's trade. He soon became ill and was sent to Colorado until his health improved. While in the West he was impressed with the local style of a 10-gallon hat. In later years the manufacture of "The Boss of the Plains," as he called his version, was his signature hat.

Young John returned East in 1865, settled in Philadelphia and opened a hat repair business in a one-room shop on the northeast corner of 7th and Callowhill Streets. In a short time his talent for trimming led him to manufacturing hats. Insisting on a policy of "none but that of sterling quality", his business improved so rapidly that he needed larger quarters in just over a year. He moved his business to 4th Street above Chestnut and in no time his hats were being sold in most of the retail establishments in Philadelphia.

Young John returned East in 1865, at the end of the Civil War in 1865 with $100 rented a small room in Philadelphia and opened a hat repair business in a one-room shop on the northeast corner of 7th and Callowhill Streets. He bought the tools he needed, bought $10 worth of fur and the John B. Stetson Hat Company was born. A year later the "Hat of the West" or the now famous "Boss of the Plains" hat was born and the name Stetson was on its way to becoming the mark of quality, durability, innovation and beauty and virtual icon of America..

In a short time his talent for trimming led him to manufacturing hats. Insisting on a policy of "none but that of sterling quality", his business improved so rapidly that he needed larger quarters in just over a year. He moved his business to 4th Street above Chestnut and in no time his hats were being sold in most of the retail establishments in Philadelphia.

Stetson's novel idea of using traveling salesmen in 1869 created the need for more space to manufacture more hats. Another novel idea of his, to move his factory to the quiet northeast area of the City, gave him the space he needed. Eventually those 12 acres held five and six-story hat factory buildings and the Stetson Hospital. His aim "to do good work at fair prices" as well as his taking good care of his employees, their families and the factory neighborhood non-employees, separated this man from the usual manufacturers of the time. He then set up one of the most liberal apprenticeship programs of that day. Mr. Stetson paid above scale wages and bonuses tied to attainment levels. He provided quite a few rooms in his factory for his employees to use for their religious, social and other activities. Later, one room was expanded and opened to neighborhood people as well. It is reported to have had a fine organ and space enough to accommodate 2,000 people. There was also a library and parlor for evening socials. Professional entertainment and a 111 orchestra were provided every Saturday night, in fact, there was activity every night of the week. Because of Mr. Stetson's patriotic bend, he organized a military company of young male employees. He had them outfitted and trained and even set up an armory.

John B. Stetson experienced trying times in his life but after it all he relied on the one thing he did exceptionally well, making hats. He was trained by his father, a master hatter, and applied his skills and knowledge to a trade that, at the time was not held in high regard. A hatter in the 19th Century was seen as unreliable, lazy, or aloof, only looking to make his money and go have fun. John B. Stetson changed all that and built one of America's most well-known and successful businesses. John B. Stetson led the Ameruican hat industry his entire career by designing new hat styles for fashion and function. Stetson is the standard in hats, the essence of the spirit of the West and an icon of everyday American lifestyle. Because of its authentic American heritage, Stetson remains as a part of history and, for the same reason will continue into the future.

Celeberty usage

Celeberties at the turn of the cebtury helped to popularize and maintain the cowboy hat as an American symbol. Buffalo Bill was one of the first celebrity endorsers of the cowboy hat back in the late 19th and early 20th century when he helpd make Stetson famous. Hats from Buffalo Bill and his contemporaries, like Wyatt Earp help to set the standard in the American mind.

Figure 2.--American boys in the 1950s wanted nothing more than a cowboy hat. Television cowboy shows played a large part in the popularity of the cowboy hat.

Image

One poet provided some insights on how the cow boy hat is worn. A cowboy's hat is kind of an individual thing. How he wears it tells alot about him. Tilted to one side means he feels cocky and self assured. If he pushes it back scratchin' his head, chances are he's countin' his cows, or figurin' his alimony. If'in it's pulled down in front. He's probably tryin' to look real mean, or a checkin out a cowgirl walkin' down the street. If'in he wears it when he's bent over shoein a pretty girls' horse, he's hidin' the fact that he's probably got a bald spot on top. If'in a cowboy pinches the front brim between his forefinger and thumb. He's just showin' respect for a lady that's a passin him by. There's only three reasons he takes it off, when he walks into a church, when he's ready to fight, or when he's goin to make 'lil baby cowboys! I wear mine low over my ears, more often than not, flattened out on top. That's cause I probably just got bucked off .... and landed on my hat again!

Child's Hat

The Stetson 10 gallon hat was widely worn in the west. It was never commonly worn by Americam boys. There was a brief period, however, when Americans boys did wear cowboy hats. Many popular TV shows in the 1950s and 60s were cowboy shows. Interestingly, that gener no longer exists in the 1990s. Cowboy pats, however, were all the rage in the 1950s. Baseball caps were not yet so overwealmingly dominate. Thus for a brief period, pre-teen boys in America commonly wore cowboy hats. Cowboy hats are now much less common. The cowboy hat, however, has always been more popular in the western states. Today, however, the cowboy hat is usually more commonly worn by men than boys.

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Created: June 5, 1999
Last updated: 1:35 AM 7/29/2007