Western Cowboy Hats
Contrary to popular mythology John B. Stetson did
not
invent the Western Cowboy Hat - but he certainly popularized it.
Mexican and Texas Ranchers in the early to mid 1800s developed the wide
brimmed fur-felt hat to offer better protection against the stifling
heat and unpredictable weather of the North American West. Up until the
turn of the 20th Century many mail order catalogues still referred to
the Western Cowboy Hats as "Sombreros".
The Western Cowboy Hat has since become
inseparable
with a certain way of life and moral conduct recognized around the
world as North America's contribution to World Culture. An old cowboy
once described the the Western Cowboy Hat this way, "It's the last
thing you take off, and the first thing that's noticed."
The world divides into people who can wear the
Western
Cowboy Hats and people who can't. People who can wear the Western
Cowboy Hats snap on a hat and begin to swagger like John Wayne. They
acquire a rolling gait and give the impression of owning a spread along
the Bighorn. The second is all hat, no cattle. A good Western Cowboy
Hat used to cost $15 a hundred years ago, nowadays the same quality hat
would be around $400+. Southern and Northern cowboys had different
hats. When Texans traveled north they found that their wide-brimmed
hats didn't stick on their head with all the wind. The northern hats
changed to be more narrow-brimmed and usually had a hatband of leather
that was tightened to keep the hat in place. The Western Cowboy Hat is
a toned down version of the hats you see in Mexico. The Western Cowboy
Hat don't have any flashy designs or shiny finishes, as cowboys got
dirty and they didn't have much use for fancy designs.
CowPokeHats.com, a sister site of
TheFedoraStore.com,
offers a large selection of quality the Western Cowboy Hats in various
styles and qualities. Just click Western on the left navigation menu at
TheFedoraStore.com, or go direct to http://www.CowPokeHats.com, and get
a great Western Cowboy Hat today.
|
