"Cowboy" hats

[stagman]

Happy to see this thread revived Ken...even tho I am not buying, hats is
the 1st thing I browse in a western shop....

Jerry,,,ya aught to get ya another one of a western pattern no tuck shirts
that your fond of,,,put on that hat,, hit town,, ya mite even pick your self
up another full time night women ( LOL )

Will
http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/stagman

[Quick Steel]

Colonel, I am with you on the Tilley. Just returned from the store. It has been raining all day and my Tilley is still on my head as I type. Also often on my head in all seasons of wind and sun. Here is my 2nd Cowboy hat for the cowboy who is all hat and no cattle. Specifically made for Italian coyboys by Milano of Italy.

[doglegg]

Soul mates! Quality on both occasions Stagman.

[espn77]

All hats aren't the same. Just like all knives aren't the same. I will only wear a custom made hat. Mine come from Trent Johnson, at Greeley Hat Works. 100X beaver.

[Jdub]

Wow kieth.. very nice hats... just like your knives..

[espn77]

They ain't made in china!!!!!

[treefarmer]

I got to thinking about cowboy hats being mentioned here on the forum and thought about the progression of my cowboy hats from way back up to the present.
At one time you only have one hat, when it starts lookin' raggedy you go and buy a "Sunday" or a "town" hat and continue with the old one till it ain't worth wearin' and then the cycle starts again. A good beaver fur hat will last for years if you don't wear it in the woods cow huntin' or in the pens workin' cattle, kinda' like those "safe queen" knives we never use. A hat is one of the best things to slap an ol' cow in the face to get her attention but it does cause the hat to start lookin' like it is well used. Cow slobber, your sweat & blood, a dab of cow manure and I even recall a feller rubbed end of a cigar on a brand new Silver Belly Stetson! That's like getting the 1st scratch on a new pickup truck, it's all down hill from there. A good beaver hat will stay on your head better than a straw hat plus if it does come off and get stomped, it'll come back to its custom shape that you have worked so hard to develop.
Miss Joy has a fond memory of drinking water from her Grandpa's Stetson when she and her siblings were in the woods with him!
There are a lot of years and hats missing but here is my progression of cowboy hats from way back in the late 40's up until tonight:

Here I am riding the water barrel with my cowboy hat, late 1940s

Got my hat on in 1952 according to the back of the picture.

Almost 20 years later, notice the custom shaped Stetson.

Me and some buds. The little one is now 45 years old.

Close to 70 years from the 1st picture to this one, a 4X Stetson and I'm still ridin' something, this time an office chair.

Hope y'all enjoyed the ride back in history.
Treefarmer

[Quick Steel]

Great photos, great history. Thanks.

[Mumbleypeg]

Great story TF. Especially the part about drinking water from a Stetson - a "ten gallon" felt hat holds about 3 quarts!

Ken

[stagman]

Enjoyed the timeline shots and how your hats evolved Phil...and
to see it in pics, even better...pretty cool !!!

And some dandy customs espn...see you are in the panhandle of the
Lone Star state...been there many times as my brother lived in Borger for 20 yrs

Will
http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/stagman

[Unk]

Stagman,

My Dad grew up in Borger, and my grandparents lived there from 1938 until they passed away. My Grandfather worked for Phillips 66 for 45 years there. I visited many times, and still have Aunts, Uncles, and cousins living there.

[stagman]

[quote="Unk"]Stagman,

My Dad grew up in Borger, and my grandparents lived there from 1938 until they passed away. My Grandfather worked for Phillips 66 for 45 years there. I visited many times, and still have Aunts, Uncles, and cousins living there.[/quote

Mike my brother lived on the street that when ya got up to main st. just pass the bank with a oil well pumping by its front door you came to main where Woolworth 5 & 10 was with the soda fountain ...he left there about 1968..he worked for Daco Oil,,and my sister in law's Aunt's place backed up to that lake behind the Phillips 66 plant.

Will
http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/stagman

[Unk]

Stagman,

It's a small world, as they say.

Happy New Year!