Yee haw! A History of the Cowboy Hat

Iconic symbol of the Old West, essential attribute of the hard working cowboy, emblematic of America around the world, the cowboy hat is one of the most famous pieces of headgear today. From a simple work item to protect the outdoor worker from the sun to a symbol of country pride, the cowboy hat has had a long journey, inspired by mediterranean hats, mexican sombreros, southern slouch hats, before being revolutionized by John Stetson and his Boss of the Plains.

Title sequence designed by Alexandre Mahler

This video was done for entertainment and educational purposes. No copyright infringement of any sort was intended.

[TuLoSabe]

I live in central Mexico. I wear a cowboy hat every day.

[astrotrek]

Never wore anything other than a baseball cap till I moved to California. It's a dry heat, but so is an oven, and the sun just feels inescapable. Bought a cowboy/outback hat and have loved it ever since. As silly as they can look, the cowboy hat is a wonderfully practical thing, and a great piece of Americana. Great video!

[myurgil]

I don’t know that I’ve ever heard a Frenchman attempt an American West accent. I love these videos - keep them coming!

[originalmroldschool]

OMG! He's wearing a Malcolm Reynolds jacket in his western costume! Nicely done sir!

[frankmenchaca]

I've seen highway construction crews with a hard hat imitations of cowboy hat

[nev]

Australia has a couple of companies that make excellent hats of all shapes and sizes.

[skyden]

Throughout most of the year 2011 I was living in Madera, CA (county & city just north of Fresno County & City.) Being an area located in California's central agricultural "bowl, " I ended up working part-time as a ranch-hand. Being that I was, more or less, considered a "city boy, " I was often given grief, by the local population, of my country/farm/ranch-working inexperience. Eventually though, the man I did the most work for would acknowledge my eventual acquired knowledge and ability to work as a proficient ranch-hand by gifting me with a brand-new Stetson, white-straw, "cowboy" hat.

[brettcole]

I've lived in Texas and Oklahoma most of my life. I don't use them as a fashion statement, but a straw cowboy had is very useful in the hot sun. A canvas one is good for the rain. For cold rainy days, you can wear a bandana under it.

[borisacat]

As a child in Stockport UK i went to a school which had taught Battersby's and Christy's for generations.
I was told a fact that has suddenly become very hard to find on the internet. I wonder why.

Stetson were still paying royalty money to Christy's hats then . I think a final deal was struck 20 years ago. Christy's were the biggest hat manufacturers in the world in the late Victorian period. Stockport had scores of hat factories (and now only has a Hat Museum, 30minutes from Manchester Airport).
When Stetson marketed the ''Boss of the Plains'' hat after the civil war he had copied Christy's ''Boss Hat'' which he saw when he visited Christy's factory in Gloucester. Before the British banned the ownership of people throughout the Empire (half of everyone outside China), It had been designed for gang bosses on plantations in the Caribbean.

I am still surprised that such a shape could be patented, but copying the name probably was a gift to lawyers.

[spaghettiking]

The Stetson is like the less-formal descendant of the Spanish Cordobes hat as the baseball cap is the casual child of the flat cap.

[jonathanvermillion]

I just bought a Gus Stetson 6x and was feeling a bit disengenuous because I’m not a cowboy. I love our country and this hat is a symbol of American values and now I will wear it with pride

[thomasbeach]

In rodeos up here in northern Michigan, few would wear an expensive Stetson in the “ring”, but would wear a Resistol cowboy hat as they cost less and can take a lot of punishment.

[laurentdevaux]

Un régal, une fois de plus ! C'est vrai que ce couvre-chef est iconique. A tel point d'ailleurs que, quand des amies texanes de mon épouse sont venues nous voir en France il y a deux ans et qu'elles m'ont demandé ce qu'elles pouvaient m'apporter qui me ferait plaisir, la réponse a été immédiate : grand fan de westerns devant l'éternel (mais les vieux, hein, ceux de John Ford, Howard Hawks, Henry Hathaway ou Anthony Mann, ou ceux de Sergio Leone, pas ceux d'aujourd'hui), je rêvais d'un vrai boss of the plains. Ça les a un peu étonné, mais elles m'en ont quand même apporté un, un magnifique chapeau (de chez Stetson, bien sûr) superbement emballé dans son carton enrubanné à l'ancienne et agrémenté d'une majestueuse plume d'aigle... Je n'imaginais pas à quel point ce genre de chapeau pouvait être grand et surtout rigide par rapport aux fedoras en feutre que je porte régulièrement en hiver. Pour tout dire, ce genre de chapeau est tellement marqué qu'il est quasiment impossible à porter en Europe, mais quelle splendeur !
Et merci aussi d'avoir souligné que le vrai chapeau qui a fait la conquête de l'ouest, c'est surtout le melon même s'il est beaucoup moins majestueux.... Mais franchement, vous imaginez John Wayne, Gary Cooper ou Clint Eastwood défourailler avec un melon sur la tête ? 😂

[martinkealey]

I never thought I would find learning about hats so interesting and fun.

[carmenromo]

For Mexicans that's a norteño hat. A hat used in the north of México where the sun is not so strong all year round. It is more practical when working with animals because is lighter and easier to keep an eye all around. 😊

[BlueJerry]

I don't know what brought me here, but I'm glad I am

[resolute]

In the US Army, Cavalry units (either ground or air) wear black Stetsons for formal and ceremonial events. As made popular to the world in the movie "Apocalypse Now" with the character LTC "Bill" Kilgore of the Air Cav. As reference to the image of a the cowboy giving water to his horse with his hat, when a Cav Trooper earns his spurs either in combat or a spur ride (an initiation event for new troopers), a soldier may wear a Stetson but after it is broken in. Story goes that when the rider would give water to a horse with his hat, the dyes in the fabric would give the horse (pardon my crudeness) the shits. So they would have to break in their hats with water to get ride of the dye. In the US Cav, a new trooper breaks in his Stetson with a concoction of booze, oil, sand, tabasco, or whatever imaginative ingredients their Spur Holder (one who earned their spurs and their senior) and is expected to drink it down.

[songperformer_NET]

A very practical hat to keep the rain and sun off, around town, I wear a flat cap, but have a cowboy for outdoors hillwalking, which get some looks in southern EWngland

[robertortiz-wilson]

Honestly, one of the best videos going over the hat’s history! Showing how it was the combination of multiple items and cultures bumping into one another to form something truly unique!

[Snootyboss]

I'm really enjoying working through your videos. Well made, informative and also made me buy a flat cap.