As I was preparing for my trip to Fort Worth, one of many errands on my list was to head down to Cavender’s in San Antonio and get my cowboy (cowgirl?) hat cleaned, steamed, and re-blocked.
In the process, I learned a great deal!
For example, did you know that the three largest manufacturers of Western cowboy hats–Stetson, Resistol, and American–are all located right here in Texas?
Or that the felt base of the hat is enhanced by the application of layers of animal fur such as buffalo, rabbit, or beaver? And that the designation of “100X beaver” indicates the type of fur and the number of revolutions the hat made while the fur layers were being applied?
Or that there are many different colors and distinctive crown styles as well as brim sizes and shapes which can all be customized to order?
In short, I went to get my hat reblocked and came away with a fascinating education! š
You can take an “armchair field trip” today by watching these great videos about how a Western Cowboy hat is made.
