Did anybody ever wear leather hats in the Old West

[gospel micah]

Howdy did anybody ever wear leather hats  in the Old West.

[St. George]

Though leather was used for a myriad of products - cowboy hats weren't one of them.

The leather cowboy hat draws its inspiration from the spaghetti westerns and the hippies - notably the 'Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers' - and both genres from the late '60's and early '70's.

When I went to Basic - one of the Draftees showed up with his.

When he emerged from the barbershop - it sat over his ears.

We eventually decided that it made an excellent ashtray...

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Delmonico]

Now I never thought of that, always wondered what you did with them now you can't wear one to a Waylon Jennings concert.

[Forty Rod]

Early fire fighters' helmets and miners' helmets were made of leather.  Fire helmets were still leather into the 1940s in some towns...Woodland, Washington volunteer FD for example.

[St. George]

There is that...

But I doubt that that was really the question.

Our 'solution' may've been along the lines of a 'Field Expedient' - but it held one hell of a lot of cigarette butts and ashes, and didn't tip over - and that's what was important.

As an aside - the owner of the thing apparently 'saw the Light' and got accepted to USMA Prep - straight out of Infantry AIT.

Whether he ever did anything beyond that - I don't know - since I was on my way to Jump School and a couple of others before shipping overseas.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!