JOHN B. STETSON

[J. W.]

I've got a couple, including an Akubra Snowy River. I rarely wear them. Too bad hats have fallen out of fashion. It's extremely rare to see anyone wearing a hat in my neck of the woods.




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[mrchuck]

My photo shows my Stetson.
Daily hat is a baseball type. Lots of them. Presently the NRA cap is daily wear.

 

[Old TexMex]

Now there was that time that my bride and I went to that estate sale in Johnson City. I mean, for gawds sake, how much would you pay for a hat that was owned by LBJ?....

Spend the money once and never regret it.

Good post, Ingramite

Hate to say it, but, for Lyndon Johnson's....not a dime.
I wouldn't take a thousand dollars for my Old Daddys Open Road, though.

Harry Truman wore the Open Road as well. Interestingly enough, there are still a fair few Stetson wearers in South Texas, even though the majority of hat wearers tend towards the black resistol country fanboy and Cartel wannabes.

Stay warm, and Happy New Year

 

[Ingramite]

Good post, Ingramite

Hate to say it, but, for Lyndon Johnson's....not a dime.
I wouldn't take a thousand dollars for my Old Daddys Open Road, though.

Harry Truman wore the Open Road as well. Interestingly enough, there are still a fair few Stetson wearers in South Texas, even though the majority of hat wearers tend towards the black resistol country fanboy and Cartel wannabes.

Stay warm, and Happy New Year

Happy New Year!
Oh yeah, I hear ya on the black Resistol.
Keeping the dog hair off of it is a full time job.

 

[Old TexMex]

Kind of a shame that Dave takes a lot better picture than me

But it is about the hat, anyways.

 

[ZBill]

I bought my hat at Cutter Bill's Houston in late 1970s. While trying on hats in the store, the staff served adult beverages. A nice touch.

Anyone have an idea which company made the store label hats?

Regards, Bill

 

[filipows]

In theory the more X's the higher the percentage of beaver fur in the felt. A lot of speculation on what each # means.
So short answer a 5X has a greater % of beaver fur than a 4X.

 

[filipows]

Years ago I visited the Autry Museum in LA. Most memorable was the history of the "cowboy" hat display. Very interesting display. The last hat was a cheap open mesh baseball type, had logo of Ag supply store. Caption read. This is the hat worn by today's working cowboy. I have agree. Full disclosure. I have more hats and boots than any three people "need". I do have saddles and a horse, no cattle. Did work on a cattle ranch 50 years ago.

 

[jimmyj]

My Western Hat story.
In the year 2005 I had been on "Light Duty" static for quite a while. My wife, cousin and his wife decided I needed a vacation and asked where I would like to go? I said "TO THE WEST" and we did. The one item I wanted was a "Real Cowboy Hat". I was informed that a real cowboy hat would be a J.B. Stetson "Silver Belly" hat. So in a small Wyoming town I wandered into a hat store and inquired about a 'Silver Belly". I was showed a "Silver Belly" and when I looked at the price tag of $650.00 I knew that Jimmy would not be wearing a "Silver Belly". ' '[

 

[les.b]

Although we always associate "Stetson" with western or "Cowboy" hats, weren't they also the high end makers of fedoras and other "eastern" business attire hats back in the day? I seem to recollect that they made the sorts of hats that we see in Film Noir movies, adorning the noggins of detectives, bankers, gangsters and lots of other city folks.

Wasn't this the same company?

Best Regards, Les

 

[Bill Lear]

I agree. 20th & 21st centuries S&W has ruled the roost.
Up until WWII it was Colt.

IMO Smith & Wesson understood the commercial market from day one, whereas Colt's entire existence seems to be tied to government contracts as far back as the Walker Colt.

Having said that, if "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," then Colt cornered the market on it! Today, the 1873 pattern Colts are the most copied and reproduced SA style in the world, the 1911 (AFTER being put out to pasture by the military) is now being manufactured by none other than Smith & Wesson, Kimber, Sig Sauer, Taurus, Ruger, Springfield Armory, Rock Island...and a veritable host of other makers including Chinese made versions! And finally, the AR-15 "pattern" rifle is also being manufactured by S&W, Ruger, Sig-Sauer, and a litany of others!

 

[bigwheelzip]

Although we always associate "Stetson" with western or "Cowboy" hats, weren't they also the high end makers of fedoras and other "eastern" business attire hats back in the day? I seem to recollect that they made the sorts of hats that we see in Film Noir movies, adorning the noggins of detectives, bankers, gangsters and lots of other city folks.

Wasn't this the same company?

Best Regards, Les

I was gonna mention that, but it seemed a "drift" from the decidedly western leaning thread.

When I was a kid in NYC, most men I knew wore those types of dress hats. An Aunt's family prospered in the millinery trade.

My clearest early memory of my grandfather, was the beautiful Stetson hats he wore. When he visited our home, he placed his hat on the telephone table in the hall. When nobody was looking I would pick it up and admire it. In my mind I can still see the smooth curves, crisp edges, tight nap, the pure perfection of style.

I have an old 8mm film of my grandpa and his adult sons going fishing on a party boat. They arrived at the boat dressed beautifully in their street clothes, with coats, ties, and dress hats. Once they were on the water, they got comfortable, but they put all the dress attire back on before the boat docked. While they were of relatively modest means, pride dictated they not be seen in public any other way but formally.

 

[crazyphil]

Stetson may very well have made fedoras and business attire hats, but
out here in the west they are best known for the cowboy hat. When I
think of fedoras, I think of Borsalino hats. They have been made in Italy
for over 150 years. I think they were quite popular with gangsters. At
least gangsters successful enough to afford them. My one and only
Borsalino is shown below.

 

[Ingramite]

Although we always associate "Stetson" with western or "Cowboy" hats, weren't they also the high end makers of fedoras and other "eastern" business attire hats back in the day? I seem to recollect that they made the sorts of hats that we see in Film Noir movies, adorning the noggins of detectives, bankers, gangsters and lots of other city folks.

Wasn't this the same company?

Best Regards, Les

Yes it was Les, they made all types of different styles of hats.
Many say that it was JFK who changed American styles to a "no hat culture" for men....don't know about that.

What I do know is that on that fateful morning in 1963 John Connolly gave JFK a Stetson Open Road upon his arrival in Dallas. JFK declined to even try on the hat and the rest is history.

Ya ever notice in the film noir that all the "characters" wore their hats tipped way back on the backs of their heads? Great hats but nobody in real life wore their hats like that. They do it in the movies for face shots, for the camera.

Everybody wore Brylcreem and Vitalis in their hair too. Slicked back elaborate hair styles....imagine what that did to the inside of a hat worn daily. It would have to get funky after a while.

Straw hats, even the expensive ones, only look nice one maybe two seasons because I sweat them out which stains the straw. Just another way of telling someone who works for a living.lol Someone with even an "inside job" is going to get caught out in the heat of the day sometime and that sweat is hell on a straw hat.

 

[Ingramite]

If you want to see something that will change the way you think of a Stetson.....Go on e-Bay and type "Stetson" into the search engine. You will get hits on everything from a fitted ball cap to a newsboy hat and all of them will have a Stetson label in them. Either they have diversified with off-shore production or they are the victims of Chinese knock-offs.

The "hand" or feel of the old Stetsons are much better than the new ones.

 

[PALADIN85020]

The picture below includes the Stetson that belonged to my paternal grandfather - his picture is also shown, together with some of his other belongings. The hat dates from very early in the last century.

John

 

[crazyphil]

The picture below includes the Stetson that belonged to my paternal grandfather - his picture is also shown, together with some of his other belongings. The hat dates from very early in the last century.

John

Looks like he might have been a veteran of the Spanish-American War. .30 Krag-Jorgensen rifle? And some of his other gear looks
like it is from that era. Do you know his military history?

There is a painting by Frederick Remington of a US Infantryman of the Spanish-American War with the rifle and also the ammo
bandolier like in your picture. Pg. 75 The Story of the Gun by Ian V. Hogg.

The old Colt revolver looks like the model Theodore Roosevelt carried on San Juan Hill in 1898. From an old article in American
Rifleman Roosevelt said: "Two Spaniards leaped from the trenches and fired at us, not ten yards away. I closed in and fired
twice, missing the first and killing the second. He doubled up as neatly as a jack rabbit." Roosevelt received the Medal of
Honor for his actions that day.

I love history. Thank you Paladin for showing these great old artifacts.

 

[Highhawk1948]

Have two Stetsons. 7X. One for everyday and one for dressing up. No cows anymore but got some nice horses and a living room full of saddles.

 

[BE Mike]

If you want to see something that will change the way you think of a Stetson.....Go on e-Bay and type "Stetson" into the search engine. You will get hits on everything from a fitted ball cap to a newsboy hat and all of them will have a Stetson label in them. Either they have diversified with off-shore production or they are the victims of Chinese knock-offs.

The "hand" or feel of the old Stetsons are much better than the new ones.

I have a billed cap with the material that protects the neck from the sun. It has a Stetson label. It is very well made. It is my favorite for mowing the lawn. It even has a lanyard with clip so it can be easily retrieved in case it comes off the head.

 

[PALADIN85020]

Looks like he might have been a veteran of the Spanish-American War. .30 Krag-Jorgensen rifle? And some of his other gear looks
like it is from that era. Do you know his military history?

There is a painting by Frederick Remington of a US Infantryman of the Spanish-American War with the rifle and also the ammo
bandolier like in your picture. Pg. 75 The Story of the Gun by Ian V. Hogg.

The old Colt revolver looks like the model Theodore Roosevelt carried on San Juan Hill in 1898. From an old article in American
Rifleman Roosevelt said: "Two Spaniards leaped from the trenches and fired at us, not ten yards away. I closed in and fired
twice, missing the first and killing the second. He doubled up as neatly as a jack rabbit." Roosevelt received the Medal of
Honor for his actions that day.

I love history. Thank you Paladin for showing these great old artifacts.

To answer your questions:

My grandfather did not serve in the Spanish-American War. He was born in 1882, and would have been around 16 when that war began in 1898.

The revolver pictured is a .38 Special 5" Smith & Wesson Model 1902, which he evidently bought at a hardware store in Louisville KY sometime in 1904. At the time he owned a dry goods store in Crittenden, KY, and he carried it discreetly in the shoulder holster that is pictured. He wanted to be armed when carrying the day's cash intake to the bank located about a half a mile away. He kept it when he and his family moved to Arizona in 1924. It's seen hard service as evidenced by the fact that it has been re-nickled and bumped around a lot. I fired it only once using target loads. These early Hand Ejectors could fire if dropped on the hammer.

Teddy Roosevelt carried a .38 double action Colt which had been retrieved from the sunken battleship Maine. He used it going up Kettle Hill in the San Juan Heights in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. Most of his men, if they had handguns, would have been issued Colt 1873 single action revolvers in .45 Colt caliber. Teddy gave his Krag to an officer who had arrived to join the unit too late to have one issued to him - for his own use, he had an 1895 Winchester in .30/40 Government caliber.

The Spanish-American War artifacts are from my collection. The Model 1896 Krag-Jorgensen carbine is identical to the weapons used by the Rough Riders. The canteen is authentic, and the ammo belt was used by an Ohio volunteer outfit in the war. The cartridges in the belt are of the period - one was "tinned" to prevent corrosion in humid climates such as Cuba.

I have inherited some of my grandfather's personal possessions, which are illustrated here. Interestingly, the wallet contains a small celluloid calendar from 1942, the year he died from kidney failure. The dollar bill is a 1925 issue silver certificate, which was also in the wallet at the time of his death. He never used the new-fangled safety razors, but instead preferred the old straight variety. The Stetson was his, as was the carpenter's ruler - he built a couple of houses for rental income in the 1930s using that ruler - both still stand in Phoenix today.

John