MBCrawford Says:
Sunday, April 15, 2012 @4:07:47 PM

that is one good looking hat, I really like the brim on it.

Frisco Fred Says:
Wednesday, July 18, 2012 @1:41:23 PM

Yup, if I remember right, that was the style of the very first Stetson hats sold.

You capoed up to B flat? Is that where you sing?

stanger Says:
Wednesday, July 18, 2012 @5:47:15 PM

Yup. My hat is a little smaller in the brim and a little lower in the crown, but proportionally it is the same as Stetson's very first model.
Stetson went off to be a gold miner with the 49'ers. He was already a hatter, and he made a pretty good living in the gold fields making felt pup tents, which were warmer than canvas. His first hat was built just for himself, just before he wearied of the gold fields and when back to Philadelphia. His big hat soon became famous, and he was offered a lot of money for it. The wealthy all wanted one, so he began making them. Philly was a starting point for the west, and soon his hat became the favorite for the pilgrims. Once it reached the Great Plains and met the Mexican sombrero, Stetson enlarged the brim and the crown. It was lighter than a sombrero, and became the perfect cowboy's hat.

I honestly don't know what I was playing before the pic was taken. A buddy came over while I was playing, to show me his brand new old Chevy- that truck is all original except for the tires & battery- and wanted a picture of me in front of it. Cool pickup; for whatever reason, it has a 54 Corvette manifold on it. It had to be a custom order, as the interior is tuck and rolled, exactly like the Corvettes, done in turquoise & white. The only thing that it needed was a new coat of varnish on the boards in the bed.

stanger Says:
Wednesday, July 18, 2012 @5:51:10 PM

The originals were never made out of buffalo felt. This hat was part of a limited run of several different old-time styles that were all made from buffalo, and I don't think they are still in production. The felt isn't as velvetly smooth as prime beaver, but is very soft. I think it's shed coat that must have been collected on Ted Turner's big buffalo ranch.