1. Selection 3:Boss of the Plains
The Hat that Won the West
Written by Laurie Carlson
Illustrated by Holly Meade

2. Genre: Biography
A true story of the life of a
real person.

3. 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.

4. Key Vocabulary
• Adventurers
• Determined
• Frontier
• Gear
• Opportunity
• Pioneers
• Settlers
• Tanned
• Wranglers

5. Adventurers: travelers in search of unusual
or exciting experiences
The streets were filled with adventurers heading to explore the West.

6. 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.

7. Frontier: unexplored land
People were headed to the frontier to search for gold.

8. Gear: equipment used for a specific activity
In St. Joseph, Missouri, people bought gear and supplies for their
journey to the goldfields.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. Wranglers: cowboys
John Stetson decided to make a hat for the wranglers of
the West.