This vintage Campaign Hat (AKA Campaign Cover, Smokey Bear Hat, Ranger Hat, Trooper Hat, Montana Peaked Hat or Stetson) was sold at our most recent Estate Sale. Montana Peak refers to the pinch shaping the hat’s crown while Stetson is a brand but more on all those names later.
Made of rabbit or wool felt, this hat has a dyed pigskin inner sweatband and is unlined with metal gromets for ventilation. It was made to be economical; higher-end versions have satin linings. This specific hat can be dated to the early 1900s by its seller, the Army & Navy Cooperative Co in New York City, a subcontractor that sold to service members and their families and supplied uniforms for troops during WWI and only a few decades after. Similar companies with similar names and founding dates existed in other countries – the Army & Navy Cooperative Society Ltd of London, and the Canadian-based Army & Navy mail-order company.
The Campaign Hat originated with horse-mounted calvary troops, so it’s ‘campaign’ as in military campaign, not political campaign. Mounted American troops in the 1800s stationed near the Mexican border adopted wide-brimmed, felt civilian hats as more practical than their official small-billed uniform caps, while Canadian, South African and foreign-stationed British troops began doing the same thing around the same time. The campaign hat was worn by some U.S. Army troops during the Spanish–American War of 1898 and the Army officially adopted the “Montana peaked” design as a service hat in 1911.
It became the preferred hat of Park Rangers in 1899 when Buffalo Soldiers of the 9th Cavalry Regiment were sent to Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks in California as some of our first park rangers. Buffalo Soldiers were 19th century Army regiments consisting of ONLY African American men (the military not integrating until 1948.) They served on the American frontier and were first called Buffalo Soldiers by the Native Americans they fought during the American Indian Wars (1609 – 1924). The last Buffalo Soldier, Mark Matthews, died aged 111 in 2005 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery; July 28 is Buffalo Soldiers Day. Of course horse-back riding Buffalo Soldier/Park Rangers wore their broad-brimmed hats in their new peace-time duties, and rangers who followed them adopted the hats as well. And OF COURSE fictitious, forest-fire fighting Park Ranger ‘Smokey Bear’ wears a campaign hat! It’s the only regulation component of his outfit; the rest is just blue jeans and a broad hairy chest.
Smokey Bear was created in 1944 to raise awareness of the U.S. Forest Service’s Wildfire Prevention Campaign, longest-running public service announcement in U.S. history, “Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires”. So linked is that hat with Smokey Bear in the public’s mind that when various State Police, State Troopers and Highway Patrol departments (> sort of < modern day calvary) incorporated the ‘covers’ into their uniforms, truckers warning each other over their CB radios referred to these lurking speed-limit enforcers as Smokey Bear, or just plain Smokey.
Boy Scouts, founded in 1907 by British Army lieutenant general Robert Baden-Powell, originally wore campaign hats and with over 38 million boy and girl scouts in 216 countries today, some still do. Campaign covers are also standard-issue for military and law enforcement instructors, the R.C.M.P. and for police, military and rangers worldwide. Yes, the campaign hat is a winner!
Tuesday Treasures was started by our staff member, Jeanne Lusignan. Each week she will be featuring items that have been found at our estate sales. If you would like to submit a treasure for Jeanne to feature in a future installment of “Tuesday’s Treasures”, please follow the button below and send us an email! Please attach a few photos of your treasure in a beautiful setting as well as any details you have about your item such as manufacturer, use, age, region of origin. If you don’t know about the piece, that’s okay! We still might be able to research it for you! Don’t forget to tell us what makes this item such a treasure to you!