Stetson hat
John Batterson Stetson (1830-1906) came up with the prototype of stetson when he was hunting in Colorado in the 1860s. Stetson was originally from Philadelphia but headed West after being diagnosed with tuberculosis, looking for a warmer climate – and maybe some adventure, too.
In Colorado, Stetson noticed the shortcomings of Westerners' coonskin caps. They were prone to fleas, didn’t provide much shade from the sun, and didn’t hold up in the rain. They must have been a bit hot during the summer, too!
Stetson came up with a hat that was perfect for the gold diggers and American West: it was lightweight, cool, and watertight. A bonus: the hat was made of local material, beaver felt. Stetson returned to Philly, and named his hat innovation “Boss of The Plains”, and started to produce them in numbers. The original stetson was rather simple with a low crown and flat brim, but cowboys who took a liking to the hat started to customize them, remolding them and making the crease high at the back and low at the front. Over time Stetson company adopted some of these changes to the original design.