Also, the insatiable fur trade demand in Europe and the East Coast drew men West, especially for beaver pelts. Wiped out in Europe, beaver skins were popular as hats and commanded high prices.

But the hats movie-cowboys tend to wear are nothing like the ones people really sported in the Old West. The 'ten-gallon', with its wide curved brim and crease in the top (crown), is the Stetson.