White Cowboy Hat History: Your Guide to White Cowboy Hats
The white cowboy hat is an icon of western North American culture and is most closely associated with the cowboys of the old west. Here is a brief summary of the history of this fascinating and highly symbolic fashion accessory.
Meaning of the white cowboy hat
Calgary, Canada, has a custom of putting a white cowboy hat on each guest as the mayor warmly greets the city. (Instead of a key to the city, guests get the hat.)
It’s a picture of Western hospitality and has been gifted to visiting superstars, officials, and athletes by every Calgary Mayors since World War II.
The white cowboy hat is also a symbol of people’s goodness. The hero of western movies wears a white hat and the bad boy wears a black one.
White cowboy hat and PBR
Each year Professional Bull Riders (PBR) issues a calendar that often features their professional riders in white hats. The late Lane Frost loved to wear a white hat with a turkey detail when riding and his best friend and fellow bull champion Tuff Tedeman often wears a white hat when riding as well.
2009 PBR World Champion Kody Lostroh wore the white hat for many of his careers in his final win of the season, as did two-time PBR World Champion Chris Shivers. It is a favorite bull riding gear accessory for the bull rider as it symbolizes all that is good in a western hero.
White cowboy hat base
Cowboy hats were originally designed to protect ranch workers from 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.
Immediately after being diagnosed with tuberculosis at a young age, he left the family business to see the Wild West before he was too sick to travel. He encountered gold miners, ranch laborers, and cattle ranchers on his journey and noticed that they were wearing top hats, raccoon fur caps, derbies, and even old military caps to keep the heat of the sun and rain on their heads.
Using his knowledge of the hat industry, he designed a hat that had a straight-sided crown and a wide, flat brim with rounded corners. In 1865 he moved to Philadelphia where he made a hat called “Chief of the Plains”, but soon, the people to whom he sold it simply called it Stetson.
It was essential equipment for the hardworking cowboy. The Stetson was a high-quality symbol and many Old West icons used it. Buffalo Bill, Will Rogers, Tom Mix, and Annie Oakley all wore Stetsons, but it was the Lone Ranger who made the white cowboy hat famous. He was never without him as he fought the bad guys and always won. (It is not a bad tradition that the hat is in tune).
