Boss of the Plains

This endearing book follows the story of John Batterson Stetson. At the beginning of the story, he is only twelve years old working in his father's hatmaker's shop in Orange, New Jersey with his eleven siblings! They were making hats the way they had always been--ordinary. After no success, he relocated and opened up his own hat shop! At first he had no success, but then the hats were off! I love how this book shines the light on failures can still be turned into successes!

Though, at first glance, Mr. Stetson's story may not offer much insight into life today, it is the story of pursing your dreams despite failure. Presenting his story as the story of a hat, offers a unique perspective on the life of an interesting individual.

People say that it's the gold, land and government that started America to it's own uniqueness, but never have we heard of a hat! John Stetson came from a family of hat makers, but he realized the weather was taking a toll on his health. He then decided to head west. He tried finding gold, but soon realized that his hat, the same hat from back home, was not helping him one bit. So, he made and designed his own very hat the helped him in so many ways. After leaving the gold digging business, he started his own hat business. Eventually, he had many people demand for his unique hat. Very soon, his hat became very popular, giving America it's new uniqueness, the Boss of the Plains hat.

Picturesque, short and too the point, this book tells the story of John Batterson Stetson, one of 12 children, who worked in his father's hatmaker's shop in Orange, New Jersey. After becoming sickly in the damp shop, John decided to try his hand at gold mining in the Colorado Territory. After about a year and being no richer, he relocated in Philadelphia and opened up a hat shop. Eventually, he decided to create a hat that differed from all the other hatmakers' wares, and created a broad brimmed hat to shield owners from the fierce sun, wind, and rain. He shipped them west and waited to see how they would be received. The rest is history....

This is a historical fiction book written for children of early primary school ages. It tells the tale of how John Batterson Stetson started making cowboy hats.

John Batterson Stetson's story of how his hats became the hottest accessory because of how useful they were. The hats were called Boss of the Plains, and because of their high demand, Stetson expanded his business. A cute story that helps us have a better understanding of the big hats used in the Wild West.

John B. Stetson designed and made hats that weren't common in the West. In particular, The Boss of the Plains, is a unique, but very different hat that people of the west weren't used to seeing. He had worked in his dad's hat shop in New Jersey all of his life so after moving to different parts of the West, he tried to make money doing all that he knew how to do- making hats. He designed a hat that was wide-brimmed and high-crowned out of rabbit skin. He named it "Boss of the Plains". Stetson mailed one to every clothing store in the West in hopes that he could make profit. People of the West fell in love with this design and orders rolled in faster than he imagined. Boss of the Plains became the most popular hat of the West. This is a show more great story to read aloud for history lessons. Students could research different styles of hats and where they were most likely to be worn geographically. A history lesson could easily turn into a culture lesson involving research and writing. show less