Stetson facts for kids
Stetson logo
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Boss of the plains hat
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| Private | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1865 |
| Founder | John B. Stetson |
Stetson is a famous American brand known for making hats. The name "Stetson" is so well-known that sometimes people use it to mean any type of wide-brimmed hat, especially those worn by Scouts.
The company was started by John B. Stetson in 1865 in Philadelphia. He got the idea for his most famous hats after traveling out West for his health. When he came back, he created a hat called the "Boss of the Plains". This hat became a symbol of the American West and is still made today.
Stetson grew to be the biggest hat maker in the world. At one point, they made over 3.3 million hats a year! Their factory in Philadelphia was huge, covering about 9 acres. Besides hats, Stetson also makes things like perfumes, clothes, shoes, and belts, all inspired by the historic American West.
Stetson University and its law school in Florida were named after John B. Stetson in 1899. This was to honor his help and support for the school. The university's sports teams are even called the Hatters!
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The First Western Hat
John B. Stetson was born in 1830. His father was also a hat maker. John worked in his father's shop until he went West for his health. While searching for gold in Colorado, Stetson made a strong hat for himself. It was made from thick beaver felt.
Legend says he made the hat to show friends how to make cloth from fur without tanning it. Fur felt hats are light, keep their shape, and hold up well in different weather.
Stetson made a very large hat from the animal hides he collected. He wore it for the rest of his trip. At first, it was a bit of a joke, but Stetson soon loved the hat. It had a wide brim and a tall top. This design protected him from the sun and rain. He could even use it to carry water!
As they traveled, a cowboy saw Stetson's unusual hat. The cowboy tried it on and bought it from Stetson for five dollars in gold. This was the very first Western Stetson hat!
The "Boss of the Plains" Hat
John B. Stetson's adventures in the West ended in 1865. He was 35 years old and feeling much better. He went back East and started his own hat company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He wanted to make high-quality hats for people who spent time outdoors.
After making some hats in popular styles, Stetson decided to create a hat based on his experiences in the American West. He called it the "Boss of the Plains". These hats had a tall top and a wide brim. They were made of soft felt. This style quickly became linked to the image of the American cowboy.
The first "Boss" hat, made in 1865, had a flat brim and a straight-sided top with rounded corners. These hats were light and waterproof. They were a natural color and had four-inch tops and brims. A simple hatband helped it fit different head sizes. John B. Stetson's name was inside the hat.
Making Hats for Everyone
Stetson sent a sample of his "Boss of the Plains" hat to stores in the Southwest. He asked them to order at least a dozen hats. The hat was an instant hit! In less than a year, Stetson had to open a new factory near Philadelphia. This was to keep up with all the orders.
Soon, the name Stetson became almost the same as the word "hat" in the West. By 1886, Stetson's company was the biggest hat maker in the world. They made almost 2 million hats a year by 1906! The original Stetson Hat Co. stopped making hats in 1968. Other companies now make Stetson hats under a special agreement.
The cowboy hat you see today still looks very much like the first one John B. Stetson made in 1865.
Stetson also made "dress" hats. These were different from Western hats because they had narrower brims and shorter tops. But it was the "Boss of the Plains" style that made the company so famous.
Singing Cowboys and Big Hats
In the past, almost every man wore a hat. Stetson focused on making expensive, high-quality hats. For a working cowboy, a Stetson was a big purchase. For someone in the city, it showed they were successful.
Early on, Stetson hats became linked to famous figures of the West. These included "Buffalo Bill", Calamity Jane, and Annie Oakley. Even George Custer supposedly wore a Stetson into battle. Later, cowboys in Western movies loved to wear Stetsons, especially the biggest and most showy styles.
People from Texas were known for liking the "Ten Gallon" hat. The term "ten-gallon" doesn't mean the hat can hold ten gallons of water. It comes from the Spanish word galón, which means "braid." So, "ten-gallon" likely referred to the number of braids used as a hatband. However, an old Stetson ad showed a cowboy dipping his hat into a stream to get water for his horse. This image helped show that the cowboy hat was a very important part of a stockman's gear.
Changing Styles and New Products
Stetson also made hats for women from the 1930s to the 1950s. Hat sales went down during the Great Depression. But Stetsons were still very common until after World War II, when fewer Americans wore hats. At its peak, Stetson had factories and sales in many countries around the world.
In the early 1970s, Stetson changed its business plan. They closed their Philadelphia factory in 1971. Now, other companies make Stetson hats under special agreements.
Western-style hats became popular again in the 1980s. This was after movies like Indiana Jones and Urban Cowboy became big hits. Both Western and dress hats are still popular accessories for men today.
More Than Just Hats
In the 1980s, Stetson started making other products. They released their first Stetson cologne in 1981. They also made luggage, handbags, umbrellas, and scarves. Today, the brand sells Western hats, fashion hats, perfumes, eyewear, clothes, shoes, belts, and even bourbon! You can find Stetson products in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Asia.
Stetson Hats in Uniforms
United States Military and Police
The "Boss of the Plains" hat was first sold in Colorado in 1865. In some old American folk songs, like "Stagger Lee," a fight happens over a Stetson hat. Today, soldiers in U.S. Army cavalry units sometimes wear a special Cavalry Stetson hat for ceremonies.
The Homicide and Robbery Bureau of the Dallas Police used the Stetson hat as a symbol of their job.
On April Fools' Day in 2011, the U.S. Army jokingly announced that their official black beret would be replaced by Stetsons. They even shared funny pictures of soldiers (and an Army dog!) wearing Stetsons.
The Legion of Frontiersmen, created in England in 1905, also wore the Stetson. So did the South African Constabulary, which was started by Robert Baden-Powell in 1901.
Canadian Military
During the Second Boer War, the flat-brimmed Stetson became a standard hat for Canadian soldiers. It became a symbol of Canada throughout the British Empire. Robert Baden-Powell saw Canadian troops wearing these hats and ordered 10,000 of them for his own British soldiers.
Canadian Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) wear a Stetson with a flat brim as part of their formal uniform. The North-West Mounted Police first started using the Stetson unofficially. They found it more practical than the traditional white pith helmet for the Canadian West. The color of the RCMP Stetson is sometimes called "Belgian Belly." It's a reddish-buff color, like the soft fur of a Belgian hare.
The Ontario Provincial Police also wore a grey Stetson as part of their uniform for many years.
The Calgary Police Service can wear a black Stetson as an optional part of their uniform. This shows the city's Western roots and cowboy history. While some officers wear it all year, it's especially popular during the Calgary Stampede.
See also
- Akubra
- Boss of the Plains
- Campaign hat
- Cowboy hat
- Tyrolean hat
- List of headgear
- Cap
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