Stetson Hatteras Pigskin Cap

John Batterson Stetson was born on May 5th 1830, in East Orange, New Jersey. His father, Stephen Stetson was a successful hatter who ran the No Name Hat Company. The company was known for their superior quality hats and John B. learned the trade as a child. John Batterson Stetson headed west to recover from tuberculosis, which he developed as a young man. He decided to try his luck and venture to Pike’s Peak to seek a fortune in gold. Roughing it in the wilderness, John used primitive felting techniques to create water repellent blankets and the first hat to protect him from the elements. This was the original “Boss of the Plains”; a Western hat that would become the cornerstone of Stetson’s hat business, and is still in production today. To differentiate his products from the competition, John B sent a “Boss of the Plains” hat to each South-Western dealer with a letter asking for an order of a dozen. By the early twentieth century, Stetson owned the world’s largest hat factory. Notable people who wore Stetson hats in the late nineteenth, early twentieth century’s included Colonel William F. Cody “Buffalo Bill”, Calamity Jane, Will Rogers and Annie Oakley.