What history, on so many different fronts, and so little time to discover it. It do look as though some have traded their horses for bicycles. I'll have one last drink at the nearest bar to my location then run some errands, picking up some snacks for tonights election results which has always been a favorite show. A final note, I've been through Clayton, NM several times but my only stop was to use a restroom. I missed out on the history of the place, always in a hurry to get somewhere else.
Hat manufacturing must have been a booming business. "Cowboys are a symbol of the American Wild West, but there are some tales about them that aren’t true. They ... didn’t wear those tall, wide-brimmed cowboy hats you see in Westerns. The iconic Stetson came onto the market in 1865, and it wasn’t popular until the end of the 19th century. A cowboy’s preferred choice of hat? The derby—also known as the bowler. Photos of the Wild Bunch from 1892 and 1900 clearly show the gang—Front row: Harry A. Longabaugh (the Sundance Kid), Ben Kilpatrick (the Tall Texan), Robert Leroy Parker (Butch Cassidy), Standing: Harvey Logan (Kid Curry), and Will Carver—donning derby hats." Source: Ripley's [Note: I believe they might have reversed Logan and Carver?]
I wore a surplus Army Fatigue cap for years, but I can't find 'em anymore. My Army service was from 1960-66; 2 years Active and 4 years Reserve. My Avatar shows me in a Fedora, but now I wear mostly Baseball caps with Railroad names. Hal
Table Bluff Hotel And Saloon, Table Bluff, California, 1889 Looks like they are getting ready to paint the walls!
Turf Exchange Saloon and Otto Uhlig's Produce Exchange, Whitewood, South Dakota, 1886. Both businesses were claimed to be frequented by Calamity Jane. What is lubricating?
Yet, in Westerns, the cowboys are always making fun of people who come from the East wearing derbies.
Photograph of the interior of the Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City, Kansas, taken between 1870 and 1885 (The photographer must have had bad breath!)