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What animal fur was davy crockett's cap made of?

Have you ever spotted a young man wearing a Davy Crockett cap? You know, the all-fur hat featuring the tail and head (in the original model) of a certain animal? This trapper's cap was popular in the 1950s.

In this article, we will see with which animal this famous Davy Crockett's hat was made of, its usefulness, how it was popularized and who Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone are.


What animal fur was used for Davy Crockett's hat?

Davy Crockett wore a coonskin hat. This coonskin cap was made of the whole skin of the raccoon with the tail at the back and the original cap could also have the head at the front. That was the classic Davy Crockett hat.


Davy Crockett hat what animal


What is the origin of Davy Crockett's hat?

Raccoon caps were originally worn by Native Americans for hundreds of years as traditional clothing and to keep their heads warm. When European pioneers settled the areas of Tennesse, Kentucky and North Carolina in the 18th and 19th centuries, they adopted it as their own and wore it as a hunting cap.

The coonskin cap eventually became part of the iconic image associated with American pioneers such as Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett.

 

davy crockkett hat

 

How was this hat popularized?

The coonskin cap became popular in the 1950s thanks to the Davy Crockett television series. 

This series, produced by Disney, followed the adventures of Davy Crockett, played by actor Fess Parker. We usually recognize the character thanks to his raccoon cap, which became his trademark. The Davy Crockett TV show was filmed in part in the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. Fascination with the character reached great heights, to the point that nearly 5,000 caps were sold every day.

 

davy crockett

 

Even before the TV series came about, in the 18th and 19th centuries, the Davy Crockett cap was associated with frontiersmen. Young men in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia were partial to this style of cap. The film Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier, based on the TV series, came out in 1955, shortly after the series ended. 

From Davy Crockett to Daniel Boone

After playing Davy Crockett, actor Fess Parker continued to wear the coonskin cap, this time as Daniel Boone, in a TV series that was broadcast from 1964 to 1970. In fact, both Davy Crockett (1786–1836) and Daniel Boone (1734–1820) were real people.

Daniel Boone

 

Who are Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett?

Daniel Boone was a frontiersman and pioneer. His many exploits made him one of the United States’ first popular heroes. Boone is known especially for his exploration of what is today the state of Kentucky.

As for Davy (or David) Crockett, commonly known as the “king of the wild frontier,” he was a soldier, politician, frontiersman and popular hero. He represented Tennessee in the US House of Representatives and took part in the Texas Revolution (October 1835–April 1836).

 

Looking for a Davy Crockett's hat?

Discover our Davy Crockett's hat. Perfect for a trapper woodsman look.

 Davy Crockett raccoon hat


And our Davy Crockett hat for kids.

Davy Crockett hat for kids