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The History Behind Stetson: The Quintessential Cowboy Hat

An early Stetson “Boss of the Plains” hat from the early 1900s. The Boss of the Plains was a lightweight all-weather hat designed in 1865 by John B. Stetson for the demands of the American West. It was intended to be durable, waterproof and elegant. The term “Stetson” eventually became all-but-interchangeable with what later became known as the cowboy hat due to later style designs based on how the rounded crown would deform from regular use.

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Sincerely,
Nick Boschetto