To make them look old, of course. Sounds silly, but it is true.
If a cowboy wore a new hat, he might be taken for a “tenderfoot,” a newcomer. Even if an old-time Westerner wore a new hat, he was teased about it.
The men of the Old West wanted their hats to look old and beat up. So they had a special way of making new hats look old. They dug a hole in the ground and put their hats in it.
They filled the hole with water and then covered it with dust and sand. After a few days they dug up the hat and then left it out to dry in the sun. Several days later, they would go back for the now completely dry hat.
They had themselves a hat that looked like it had been worn for years and years. Some cowboys even “smoked” their hats. They held them in the smoke of a fire until they were thoroughly smoked up.
This sort of treatment was supposed to make them more waterproof.
Related Posts
-
Why Are Women’s Hats Called Millinery?
Centuries ago, many of the hats that were worn by European women came from the Italian city of Milan. A person who lives in Milan is a Milaner, and traders who sold hats…
-
Why did ladies wear those stupid-looking hats back in the Dark Ages?
If "stupid" means "pointy" or "heart-shaped," then the answer to why women wore those stupid-looking hats back in the Dark Ages is fairly simple: style. The tall, pointed headdress was called a steeple…
-
Why did the Pilgrims wear those goofy hats and buckles?
Actually, their portrayal as fashion victims is a terrible injustice that's been done to the poor Pilgrims. It's all a lie: They never wore clothes like that. In reality, the Pilgrims dressed as…
-
Why do people wear straw hats at the annual Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York?
The annual Puerto Rican Day parade in June is one of New York City's biggest public events. Similar parades are held in other northeastern cities. It is a day of festivity and ethnic…
-
Why were cowboys in the American Old West called cowpokes or cowpunchers?
Cowboys in the American Old West were called cowpokes or cowpunchers because poke and punch is what they literally did to cattle that balked at going up the ramps leading to railcars and…
