Stetson

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American hat brand

title: "Stetson" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1865-introductions", "brands-that-became-generic", "clothing-brands-of-the-united-states", "hats", "rider-apparel", "western-wear"] description: "American hat brand" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stetson" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American hat brand ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox company"]

Field	Value
name	Stetson
logo	File:Stetson Logo.svg
logo_caption	Stetson logo
image	1800s Boss of the plains 5.jpg
image_caption	Boss of the Plains hat
type	Private
foundation
founder	John B. Stetson
industry	Retail
homepage
::

Stetson is an American brand of hat manufactured by the John B. Stetson Company.

John B. Stetson gained inspiration for his most famous hats when he headed west from his native New Jersey for health reasons. On his return east in 1865, he founded the John B. Stetson Company in Philadelphia. He created a hat that has become symbolic of the pioneering American West, the "Boss of the Plains". This Western hat would become the cornerstone of Stetson's hat business and is still in production today.

Stetson eventually became the world's largest hat maker, producing more than 3,300,000 hats a year in a factory spread over 9 acre in Philadelphia. In addition to its Western and fashion hats, Stetson also produces trucker hats, fragrance, apparel, footwear, eyewear, belts, bourbon, and other products evoking the historic American West.

Stetson University and Stetson University College of Law in Florida were named after John B. Stetson in 1899 for his contributions to the school. The university's athletic teams are known as the Hatters, and the official mascot is known as "John B."

Prospector's hat

John B. Stetson was born in 1830 in Orange, New Jersey, where his father, Stephen Stetson, was a hatter. He worked in his father's shop until he went West for his health. Stetson created a rugged hat for himself made from thick beaver felt while panning for gold in Colorado. According to legend, Stetson invented the hat while on a hunting trip while showing his companions how he could make cloth out of fur without tanning. Fur felt hats are lighter, they maintain their shape, and withstand weather and renovation better.

Stetson made an unusually large hat from felt he made from hides collected on the trip and wore the hat for the remainder of the expedition. Although initially worn as a joke, Stetson soon grew fond of the hat for its ability to protect him from the elements. It had a wide brim, a high crown to keep an insulating pocket of air on the head, and was used to carry water.

As their travels continued, a cowboy is said to have seen J. B. Stetson and his unusual hat, rode up, tried the hat on for himself, and paid Stetson for it with a five dollar gold piece, riding off with the first western Stetson hat on his head.

Boss of the Plains

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/1800s_Boss_of_the_plains.jpg" caption="[[Boss of the Plains]] hat"] ::

Stetson's western adventures came to an end in 1865. Stetson, then 35 years old and in better health, returned east and established his own hat firm in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which produced high-quality hats for outdoor use. After producing some initial designs based on popular styles of the day, Stetson decided to create a hat based on his experiences in the American West, which he called the "Boss of the Plains". The high-crowned, wide-brimmed, soft-felt western hats that followed are intimately associated with the American cowboy image.

The original "Boss", manufactured by Stetson in 1865, was flat-brimmed, had a straight-sided crown with rounded corners. These lightweight, waterproof hats were natural in color, with four-inch crowns and brims. A plain hatband was fitted to adjust head size. The sweatband bore John B. Stetson's name.

Mass production

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/John_B._Stetson_Co._Factory,_Philadelphia,_PA_1894.jpg" caption="Stetson's nine-acre factory in Philadelphia (1894)]]Stetson sent a sample hat to merchants throughout the Southwest with a letter asking for a minimum order of a dozen "Boss of the Plains" hats. The hat was an immediate success: in less than a year, Stetson set up a new factory in the outskirts of Philadelphia to handle his growing business. According to Bender, within a decade the name Stetson had become synonymous with the word "hat" almost everywhere in the West.Bender, pg,12 By 1886, Stetson's hat company was the largest globally and had mechanized the hat-making industry ("producing close to 2 million hats a year by 1906"). The Stetson Hat Co. ceased production in 1968 and licensed another hat company. However, these hats still bear the Stetson name, with the hats produced in St. Joseph, Missouri. Later the license was transferred to another hat company in Texas."] ::

::quote "Today's cowboy hat has remained basically unchanged in construction and design since the first one was created in 1865 by J.B. Stetson." ::

Stetson also produced "dress" hats, distinguished from "western" hats by narrower brims and shorter crowns. However, his "Boss of the Plains" style hat and its many variants fueled the company's growth and fame.

Singing cowboys and ten-gallon hats

Canadian military

In the Second Boer War, the flat-brimmed Stetson became the standard issue of the 2nd Canadian Contingent, becoming recognized throughout the British Empire as a symbol of Canada. Twelve hundred Canadian troops were part of the South African Constabulary under the leadership of Robert Baden-Powell, and it was after seeing these troops in action at the Relief of Mafeking that Baden-Powel ordered 10,000 of these hats for the British Troops under his command.

Canadian police

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Nwmp_1900.jpg" caption="[[North-West Mounted Police]] officers, [[Yukon]], 1900, wearing the famous scarlet uniform that includes a flat-brimmed Stetson hat with a Montana Crease."] ::

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Red Serge dress uniform includes a Stetson with a flat brim. The Stetson was first used unofficially by the North-West Mounted Police, in place of the traditional white pith helmet, not practical for the Canadian West. The color for the RCMP Stetson is sometimes referred to as "Belgian Belly"; it is a reddish buff, pastel-like color of the underfur of the Belgian hare. It is also a very little-used "second name" for the Stetson. Although called a Stetson, the hat type is similar to a campaign hat.

The Ontario Provincial Police also wore the Stetson (grey woven fabric) as part of their uniform from 1909 to 1930s and again from 1997 to 2009.

The Calgary Police Service may wear a black Stetson as an optional part of their uniform, reflecting the city's western roots and cowboy heritage. Although worn by some officers year-round, the hat is especially prominent during the Calgary Stampede.

References

Carlson, Laurie. (1998) ''Boss of the Plains, the hat that won the West''. p. 5, {{ISBN. 0-7894-2479-7
Etta Reid, ''Ingenuity, luck united to make Stetson hat''. News & Record (Greensboro, NC). Triad Classifieds Deasomedtriadn; p.. GRN6. September 9, 2007
Carlson, Laurie. (1998) ''Boss of the Plains, the hat that won the West''. {{ISBN. 0-7894-2479-7
Snyder, Jeffrey B. (1997) ''Stetson Hats and the John B. Stetson Company 1865–1970'' p. 40 {{ISBN. 0-7643-0211-6
Snyder, Jeffrey B. (1997) ''Stetson Hats and the John B. Stetson Company 1865–1970'' p. 49 {{ISBN. 0-7643-0211-6
Stetson Century, Ralph Richmond 1965
Snyder, Jeffrey B. (1997) ''Stetson Hats and the John B. Stetson Company 1865–1970'' 1997 pg5 {{ISBN. 0-7643-0211-6
Snyder, Jeffrey B. (1997) ''Stetson Hats and the John B. Stetson Company 1865–1970'' pg 73, pg 51 1997 {{ISBN. 0-7643-0211-6
Bender, p. 54
Bender, pg,12
Reynolds, William and Rich Rand (1995) ''The Cowboy Hat book''. p. 8 {{ISBN. 0-87905-656-8
Snyder, Jeffrey B. (1997) ''Stetson Hats and the John B. Stetson Company 1865–1970'' {{ISBN. 0-7643-0211-6
Bugliosi, Vincent ''Reclaiming History''
(April 1, 2011). "Stetson hat to be new Army standard headgear". The United States Army.
(October 22, 2009). "Canada & The South African War, 1899–1902: The Stetson Hat". Canadian War Museum.

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