Stories From Texas

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Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-16-2025

Abstract

There are a few symbols so deeply woven into the fabric of Texas that they seem as native as mesquite or bluebonnets. One of them is the Stetson hat. Not just any Stetson hat – the Boss of the Plains.

Oddly enough, it didn’t come from Texas at all. It was born out of necessity, not too far from the Lone Star State, in the high country of Colorado, by a man who thought he was dying.

John B. Stetson was born in 1830 in New Jersey. In his late 20s – around 1857 or 1858 – he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Back then, TB was often a death sentence. Doctors advised him to get his affairs in order – and to get to a dry climate.

So Stetson did what many a desperate man would do in the mid-1800s: he went west. He joined a wagon train headed toward Pike’s Peak. Somewhere along the trail, east of Colorado Springs, he decided that his narrow-brimmed eastern hat wouldn’t do.

He put his hat-making skills to use around a campfire and fashioned a broad-brimmed, high-crowned hat out of beaver felt – thick, durable and water-resistant. It wasn’t for show. It was a shield. It could shade the eyes, protect him from rain, fan a fire, or even serve as a bucket to water a horse.

A fellow traveler was so impressed that he bought it on the spot. That was the first Stetson ever sold.

Stetson eventually recovered his health and returned east, to Philadelphia. In 1865, at the age of 35, he founded the John B. Stetson Company, producing the “Boss of the Plains” hat for the booming Western market. And Texas, as it turned out, was ready.

Cowboys across the plains quickly recognized its value. It was far superior to the coonskin caps and floppy wool hats they’d worn before. This new hat was all function – and somehow, it looked right. It looked Western. Soon enough, Stetson’s name wasn’t just a brand — it became the word for hat.

In Texas, the Stetson was adopted by trail riders, ranchers, sheriffs and, eventually, by city folks who didn’t work cattle but liked to look like they did. From Amarillo to Austin, the Stetson became a crown of Texan identity.

And when the movies came along, they sealed the legend. Think of “Tombstone” – Doc Holliday in a dusty gray Stetson, Wyatt Earp tipping his hat before a shootout. Or “Lonesome Dove,” where Gus and Call’s hats say as much about their character as their words ever could.

In fact, one of the most iconic Texas-style hats today is the Gus crease, named after ”Gus” McCrae, Robert Duvall’s character in “Lonesome Dove.” That high front crown that slopes down toward the back carries a swagger all its own. It’s not in the original Stetson catalog, but it’s pure Texas – functional, stylish and just a little rebellious.

Today, the Stetson endures in Texas. You see them at rodeos, ranch gates and wedding receptions. You’ll even see them under the golden dome of the Capitol. It’s not always the “Boss of the Plains” style anymore – now they come with creases and curls, open crowns and cattleman dips – but they’re all part of the same lineage. The Stetson born from a death sentence, saved by the dry air and bright sun of the Rockies, and made immortal by the spirit of the West.

John B. Stetson may have been born in New Jersey, but his hat – that hat – belongs to Texas.

Format

.MP3, 192 kbps

Length

00:04:14

Language

English

Notes

https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/stetson-hat-history-texas/

Comments

© 2025 William F. Strong. Uploaded with permission of copyright holder.

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