StoryPNW
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,232
- Location
- Pacific Northwest
Very nice HJ. Natural color?
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Western, anyone?
- Thread starter kokopelli
- Start date
-
- Tags
- western hats
- Messages
- 18,343
Yes, 100X.
Stunning, HJ! And I believe your assessment of whose head it would have graced, in past times, is spot on.
- Messages
- 18,343
Thanks Mark. I have a doctors hat for summer that I like a lot. Also used to have a farrier come to my place who wore a similar hat.
Recently acquired, this one is both amazingly unique (at least to me) and something of an enigma.
First off, it’s the only heathered western hat I’ve ever seen. It has a hand-written tag behind the headband, marked “Arroyo Elk Mix" and "57.50” It has a Miller Brothers sweatband and lining. The sweat is also embossed with the name of a retailer in Brownwood, TX, that, according to public records, came into existence in 1993.
Here’s the confusing part: the seller says this hat belonged to her grandfather, a West Texas oil field worker, and that she’s got a photo of him wearing it in 1977.
Sooooooo, therein lies the confusion. Did it come into existence sometime before 1977? If so, the sweat and lining COULD be replacements done during a refurb after the shown retailer opened up shop. But the sweat shows no sign of not being original, and the hat itself doesn’t show the kind of wear you’d expect to see on a hat that needed re-lining and re-banding. Or (and I think this is probably most likely) is it that the seller is mistaken about what hat her grandfather’s wearing in the picture?
And a hat from elk hide just fascinates me. Did someone send a hide to Miller Brothers for a one-off custom? Given the hand-written tag, it seems unlikely Miller Bros. created it on spec. And who shot the elk? And where? And what, exactly, is an “Arroyo” elk?
I’ve sent another message to the seller, asking if her grandfather was a hunter, but haven’t heard back from her yet.
So, mysteries. But whatever else (if anything) that I learn, this is, IMO, one DAMN fine, one-of-a-kind western.
Yay me!!
First off, it’s the only heathered western hat I’ve ever seen. It has a hand-written tag behind the headband, marked “Arroyo Elk Mix" and "57.50” It has a Miller Brothers sweatband and lining. The sweat is also embossed with the name of a retailer in Brownwood, TX, that, according to public records, came into existence in 1993.
Here’s the confusing part: the seller says this hat belonged to her grandfather, a West Texas oil field worker, and that she’s got a photo of him wearing it in 1977.
Sooooooo, therein lies the confusion. Did it come into existence sometime before 1977? If so, the sweat and lining COULD be replacements done during a refurb after the shown retailer opened up shop. But the sweat shows no sign of not being original, and the hat itself doesn’t show the kind of wear you’d expect to see on a hat that needed re-lining and re-banding. Or (and I think this is probably most likely) is it that the seller is mistaken about what hat her grandfather’s wearing in the picture?
And a hat from elk hide just fascinates me. Did someone send a hide to Miller Brothers for a one-off custom? Given the hand-written tag, it seems unlikely Miller Bros. created it on spec. And who shot the elk? And where? And what, exactly, is an “Arroyo” elk?
I’ve sent another message to the seller, asking if her grandfather was a hunter, but haven’t heard back from her yet.
So, mysteries. But whatever else (if anything) that I learn, this is, IMO, one DAMN fine, one-of-a-kind western.
Yay me!!
Oh, that is just too kewl for skool, sir!!
- Messages
- 18,343
Out of business now but there was the Elk Tanning Co in Elk county, Arroyo, PA. They may have processed the hide.
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Damn, HJ!! You NEVER fail to amaze me with the vastness of your knowledge!
That would make PERFECT sense, and will henceforth be my operational theory. Thank you!
- Messages
- 18,343
Thanks again! I bought a vintage pair of batwing chaps at auction once, that were trimmed out in hair on elk. On the backside of a flap was the tanners stamp.Damn, HJ!! You NEVER fail to amaze me with the vastness of your knowledge!
That would make PERFECT sense, and will henceforth be my operational theory. Thank you!
RickP
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,224
Clean look!New life for this 3X Resistol. The model is 'Cattleman' and the color is 'Canyon'. This one started out as a 7 5/8 Western that had brim issues. A crack was developing across the whole back of the brim. I liked the style and color of the hat and didn't want strip it and toss out the felt. So, I folded up some paper towels and stuck them behind the sweat to try and fit my 7 1/4 hat size and try to wear it as is. That didn't work out well since the paper towels wrinkled the sweat and left little dents in my forehead. Well, I thought I'd take a gamble and try blocking it down three sizes, which would be much easier on the hat than tugging on the brim and attempt stretching it over a bigger block and chance ripping off the back of the brim. Anyway, to my pleasant surprise, after a little process in downsizing, I had success. Even the crack looked like it refelted itself. It's only faintly visible now under certain light. Other than some minor changes I stayed mostly with the original hat style. I was also able to reuse the original material.
Before:
After:
