Thursday, February 3, 2011

Your Guide to the White Cowboy Hat

By Tank McGraw


The white cowboy hat is a symbol of North American Western culture and is most greatly related to the cowboys of the old west. This is a short description of the history of this fascinating--and remarkably symbolic--fashion accessory.

Symbolism of the White Cowboy Hat

Calgary, Canada has a tradition of placing a white cowboy hat on every visitor that is welcomed to the city by the mayor. (Instead of a key to the city, visitors receive the hat.)

It is a representation of Western hospitality and every mayor of Calgary has offered it to visiting superstars, officials and athletes since the Second World War.

The white cowboy hat is likewise a symbol for the nice in people. The hero in Western films puts on a white hat and the bad fella puts on a black one.

White Cowboy Hat and the PBR

Each year the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) issues a calendar that often features their professional riders wearing white hats. The late Lane Frost loved wearing a white hat with a turkey feature in it when he rode and his best friend and fellow bull riding champ, Tuff Tedeman often wears a white when riding as well.

2009 PBR World Champion Kody Lostroh used the white hat all through most of his rides in his final season win as did two time PBR World Champion Chris Shivers. It is really a favourite bull riding gear accessory for the bull rider because it signifies everything good in a western champion.

Basis of the White Cowboy Hat

Cowboy hats were originally designed to protect ranch workers from the rain and sun while working outdoors. John Batterson Stetson was the son of an American hat maker who grew up working in the family business.

After being diagnosed with tuberculosis as a young man, he left the family business to explore the Wild West before he was too ill to travel. He met gold miners, ranch hands and cattle drovers while on his journey and saw that they were using top hats, coonskin caps, derbies and old military caps to keep the suns heat and rain from their heads.

Making use of his familiarity with hat industry, he created a hat that had a straight-sided crown and a broad flat brim with circular corners. In 1865 he transferred to Philadelphia were he manufactured a hat known as "Boss of the plains" but soon, the ones he sold it to simply called it a Stetson.

It was an essential piece of equipment for the working cowboy. The Stetson was a symbol of high quality and many Old West icons wore it. Buffalo Bill, Will Rogers, Tom Mix and Annie Oakley wore Stetsons, but it was the Lone Ranger who made the white cowboy hat famous. He was never without it as he fought the bad guys and he always won.




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