It was the Derby/bowler, not the cowboy hat or sombrero, was the most popular hat in the American West. It was so common in fact that Lucius Beebe to call it “the hat that won the West”. When you see old west photos of town’s people, shop keepers, bar tenders and the like, almost all of them wore derbies. Many cowboys purchased derby’s when they came to town because they were easily available and the hat would not blow off easily in strong wind. Bowlers/derby were worn by both lawmen and outlaws, including Bat Masterson, Butch Cassidy, Black Bart, and Billy the Kid.
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