The term “cowboy” is very descriptive of the way of life of the men who herded cattle across different regions of North America. Cowboys drove their cattle long distances through the prairies and mountains of Colorado, Arkansas, Wyoming and Texas away from cold weather, toward fresh water and ultimately to slaughter in order to supply beef for America’s growing population. The first cowboys came from Mexico and were called vaqueros. They rode on horses to herd their cattle, a method introduced to the American continent by the Spanish in the early 15th Century, instead of on foot. Vaqueros moved their cattle north from Mexico into America to graze, and the Americans soon began to use the vaqueros’ herding method to control large herds of cattle over the West’s wide open spaces.
The cowboy hat is a wide brimmed hat traditionally worn by ranch workers throughout North America, but it has also become a cultural icon, worn as a fashion or lifestyle statement all over the world. Although it is considered a symbol of the American West, the cowboy hat is not purely American. The style originated with the Spanish and came to the American cowboy from the vaqueros of Northern Mexico. The famous cowboy hat was the innovation of an American named John B. Stetson. Born in Orange, New Jersey, Stetson worked in the hat making business in Philadelphia with his father Stephen until John was diagnosed with tuberculosis and his doctor predicted he would have only a short time to live. Stetson left the hat making business in the early 1860s and with some companions, went west to seek the benefits of a drier climate, where he met many drovers, bullwhackers and cowboys. Seeing the flea-invested coonskin caps favored by many of the gold prospectors, he realized that a hat made from felt, a non-woven cloth that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing fur or other fibers, could be used to create a light weight, all-weather hat. In 1865, with $100, John Stetson rented a small room, bought the tools he needed, bought $10 worth of fur and created a light weight felt hat with an open crown and a broad brim that would protect cowboys from the hot sun and the heavy rain of the West. The hat achieved instant popularity and was named the “Boss of the Plains.” The first real cowboy hat. That style hat is also iconic to Canadians, being a trademark of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police ("Mounties"), and is an insignia on the flag of the city of Calgary.
