The Boss of the Plains was a lightweight all-weather hat designed in 1865 by John B. Stetson for the demands of the American West. It was intended to be durable, waterproof and elegant.[1] The term "Stetson" eventually became all-but-interchangeable with what later became known as the cowboy hat due to later style-designs based on how the rounded-crown would deform from regular use.
- ^ Flanagan, Mike (1999). The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Old West. p. 239. ISBN 0-02-862945-0.