Selection 3:Boss of the PlainsThe Hat that Won the West

Written by Laurie Carlson

Illustrated by Holly Meade

Genre: Biography

A true story of the life of a real person.

Selection Summary

As a boy, John Stetson worked in his father’s New Jersey hat factory. In 1859, on his way west looking for adventure, he invented a practical hat for his own use. The style suited Western life so well that Stetson became the manufacturer of the most popular hat in the West.

Key Vocabulary

• Adventurers

• Determined

• Frontier

• Gear

• Opportunity

• Pioneers

• Settlers

• Tanned

• Wranglers

Adventurers: travelers in search of unusual or exciting experiences

The streets were filled with adventurers heading to explore the West.

Determined: sticking to a purpose

John was determined to start a new life in St. Joseph, Missouri, and he would not give up until he succeeded.

Frontier: unexplored land

People were headed to the frontier to search for gold.

Gear: equipment used for a specific activity

In St. Joseph, Missouri, people bought gear and supplies for their journey to the goldfields.

Opportunity: a good chance

John Stetson found the opportunity to head West when a group of travelers invited him along on their journey to Pikes Peak.

Pioneers: people who are the first to settle in a region

Pioneers settled on the lands of the West before others came out to join them.

Settlers: people who travel to a little known area and make a home

At first, settlers and travelers in the American West wore whatever hats they had worn back home.

Tanned: changed animal hide to leather by soaking it in chemicals

The settlers thought they might be able to use rabbit skins to make a tent if they could be properly tanned.

Wranglers: cowboys

John Stetson decided to make a hat for the wranglers of the West.