The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-10-28
HOW THE COWBOYS USED TO
MAKE THEIR OWN HATS.
Rawhide Nodded in the Ground and
Dried in the Sun-Big Rimmed Fur
Hats That Have Taken the Old Raw
hides Place.

Dried in the Sun-Big Rimmed Fur
Hats That Have Taken the Old Raw
hides Place.
Take" says cowboy of the plains, "for
instance, the cowboys big trimmed hat. The
fact alone that it has been worn without
changing fashion for generation after genera
tion Is enough to indicate that use, not vanity,
dictated its origin Until recent years, when
the importance of these hats was recognized
by hat manufacturers and wool, felt and fur
were turned to account in making them, we
made our own hats. A hole, as near the
shape and size of our heads as we could make
it. was dug in the ground. A large circular
piece of rawhide, wet, soft and pliable, was
spread over the hole. With bunch Of grass
or buckskin the center of the rawhide was
pressed down into the hole until it assumed its
size and shape. The surrounding circle OF
hide, which was to be the rim, was kept fiat
the ground by constant patting of the
hands all around it
When the hat was nodded it was left until
it was well dried by the sun. Then it was
taken to n place where smoke and heat
scorched it that it was perfectly water
proof. Then it was trimmed with strings and
straps and was ready for use, and that use is
often to throw a quickly spreading prairie
fire back ON the burned ground before it has
q
cattle and horses in the direction we want
them to go. When the sun is scorching hot
and there is q blister in every puff of wind,
this great hat is much cooler than a straw hat.
When the wind is blowing the sand like hot
shot in our faces we would suffer greatly but
for the protection afforded eyes by the
big-brimmed hat. When the mud is flying
from the heels of the stampeding cattle, or
the terrible hailstorms of the plains are pelt-
bat, tIx,
we have. We wear leather bands on all our
hats, because cotton, woolen, or silk won't
wear and won't keep the hats on.
REASONS FOR LONG HAIR
Nowadays our hats are made in the east,
and made of the best fur of the best water
animals. We can wash them soak them in
water for that matter, after they have been
exposed to all kinds of weather, and they
hold their shape as if they were just out of
the factory. They will do service for many
years. The Stetson hat is the most common
ly used in the west. They cost from SS to
S30 II made to order they cost n great deal
more. / have seen hats that cost $500. Buff
falo Bill has had many hats of that kind pre-
sented to him from people that he has guided
safely across the great plains in times of
danger from hostile Indians and Mormons
These fur hats have taken the place Of the old
homemade rawhide hats, as they answer
every purpose.
"As to our long hair, there are good reasons
why wear it. Our business is out DOORS
rain or shine and in many changes of climate,
and we have found from experience that the
greatest protection to the eyes and ears is long
hair. Old miners and prospectors know this
we'll Hunters, scouts, trailers and guides let
their hair grow a rule. Those who have
been prejudiced against it have suffered the
consequences of sore eyes, pains in the head,
and loud ringing i'll the ears. A peculiar re-
suit of exposure without the protection of
long hair is loss of hearing in one ear, caused
by one or the other of the ears being exposed
more when the plainsman is lying on the
ground. Healthy hearing and eyesight are Of
the greatest Importance to n scout, hunter or
herisman. When we see an object at a dis
tance we want to know whether it is a cloud
burst coming upon us, prairie fire, an enemy
in the neighborhood, or what it is. The
longer we look at it the more distinct it be-
comes, if our eyes are good. 1t won't do for
them to be weak and watery, and, having
found that the growth and wearing of long
hair not only preserves, but strengthens our
sight, and makes our hearing more acute, we
let nature have her way, and profit by it.
There some white men whose interests
call them to live among the Indians, and it is
n fact that by letting their hair grow long
they gain favor with the people they live
among, and get along much bettsr"-New
York Sun ~