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Cowboy Hat and Culture
by Susan Allen, click here for bio
Program: Open Range
Date: July 28, 10
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The cowboy hat is as American as apple Pie. I’ll be back with history on what has become an iconic symbol of our country especially to other nations. People from other cultures are fascinated by cowboy hats but interestingly the cowboy hat as we know it today evolved from other cultural influences. Predominant was the leather or felt sombreros worn by Mexican Vaqueros in Texas, a poblano black felt hat favored by the Californios plus the practicality of the southern Calvary military slouch worn by confederate soldiers. Toss them together and you get the American cowboy hat. Historically a cowboy hat grew bigger the father south you traveled. In the desert regions a high crown and big brim would keep your head cooler. In the Rocky Mountains ranch hands wore a smaller version that stayed on in wind and snow storms. The ultimate combination of regional styles was designed by John B. Stetson out of beaver with a brim still enough to stay out of a cowboys eyes, one issue cowboys had with the Calvary slouch. He called his first hat, ”Boss of the Plains” or Sugar Loaf” and it most resembled the Californio style. By the late 1800’s,the largest of all cowboy hats, the Carlsbad was the rage. It boasted a rolled edge and single crease, eleven-inch crown and seven inch brim and was made famous by John Wayne, Tom Mix even comic book hero Red Rider. Like everything else we are famous for, coffee, blue jeans and working horses, the cowboy hat in it’s many styles has come to symbolize the individuality of the west.
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