Custom Cowboy Hats
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The Author - Longfellow.

Best Cowboy Gifts
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Jesse James hat

Perfect Cowboy Gift!
Coffin Cowboy Hat Stand

 

Legends of the West Posters

Old West Posters
We've developed an original line of Old West Poster Art - and frankly we think there's nothing like it any where else. Old West Heroes like Buffalo Bill Cody, Wild Bill Hickock, George Armstrong Custer, and Gunfighters like Jesse James, Butch and Sundance, John Wesley Hardin, Billy The Kid, and Doc Holliday have all been faithfully portrayed in the context of their times.

Go to our Old West Posters page.

 

Old West Canadian History

Custom Caricatures

The Silver Spur Gunfighters.

Authentic Wanted Posters

Johnny Ringo Custom Cowboy Hat

Charley Prince Hat.

 

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Welcome to The Last Best West!

Classic Old West Adventure Novel.

We are located in the Alberta Rocky Mountains, in Calgary, Canada. There are over 125 pages of old west history on our website, and in our General Store we stock some of the most original, authentic cowboy goods around.

For a handy page to all our great products simply click on this link or the one above that says "GO TO PRODUCT INDEX". You will find this link in white on all our web pages (in the same spot as above) - so you can quickly return to our product index page - should you wander off the beaten path!

In our General Store you will find our top of the line Custom Cowboy Hats, a number of different Cowboy Posters, Limited Edition Prints, and Authentic Reproductions of Old West Badges. We do additional custom work like: Custom Leather Goods and Custom Old West Badges, Custom Wanted Posters, and Personal Caricatures. The books we carry include our hard-riding adventure story set in the old west, The Last Best West, a Classic Reprint series, and our ever popular Classic Cowboy Cartoons. Real professional rodeo stars wear our hats. Click for our Masters of Rodeo Custom Western Hats. RECENT ADDITION - Executive Saddle Bags.

So take your time, have a mosey around. . .there's lots to see in The Last Best West.
QUESTIONS? E-mail us at:

The Last Best Cowboy Hat

A Classic Adventure Novel
Longfellow's adventure novel; The Last Best West is a classic adventure story set in the Old West of 1897. Wasey Bruce and Poke Roberts have been at odds most of their lives, and now with the discovery of gold in the wilds of the Yukon River; fate will push them into each others path's to resolve their hatred once and for good. More about the Story

Order your copy of The Last Best West and if you don't agree that it's one of the best adventure stories you've read, we'll refund yer full purchase price! The Last Best West Complete contains Books I and II, in one volume. The novel is 367 pages long and just under 89,000 words. Just 21.95 for this compelling old west adventure story. Click to order and more information ::: More about the Author ::: Code of the Old West

Custom Leather Chaps     ADDED JUNE 2009

Leather is an important material to cowboys. It wears hard, is like a second skin, and early cowboys soon learned how to work leather to make hardy leather garments to do their jobs better; protect their clothes, and make their lives easier. The leather we use for our custom chaps and leather accessories is top quality, and will stand the test of time.

Quality custom made items from The Last Best West are made to last for generations and our chaps are no exception. Researched by Longfellow, and designed from archival photo's these chaps will give you the wear, look, and protection you need. Click for our custom chap page.

B-Movie Cowboy hats

March 2009: We're pleased to introduce a new line of hats - B-Movie Cowboy Hats. These hats are big, bold, and sure to get noticed! In the 1930s the B-Western stars like William Boyd, Buck Jones, Yakima Canutt, and a hard-working actor called John Wayne, popularized denim and showcased the modern rodeo. B-Movie's were fast paced, with plenty of action and a happy ending. Just what the people needed to forget their troubles during the Great Depression. Click to go to our B-Movie Hat page.

Custom Cowboy Hats from The Last Best West

The General - custom Cowboy Hat.


In today's world of depleting Ozone and the rise of melanoma and skin cancer - everyone needs a good hat to shield their face and neck from the harmful effects of the sun. What could be more timeless and useful than a fine fur-felt Cowboy Hat? It will keep your face and neck in constant shade - regardless of the position of the sun, and your eyes and lips will say thankee-thankee. It'll be your friend for life and will age just as gracefully as you!

We'll give you what you want.
Real Classic  Western Designs - made to your specifications. Choose from authentic cowboy hats from the 19th and early decades of the 20th century to memorable hats from your favorite western movies. If you don't see what you want - send us a picture - and we'll make our version of that hat.

Old Fashion Quality
You won't find these western hats at your nearest mall. Many of the brim shapes or crowns may look familiar, may even be the same, but they are poor imitations, cookie-cutter designs; mass produced and available virtually anywhere. Any Custom Hat you buy from The Last Best West - has character build right in it from the hands of our master hatter. Each hat is unique, hand crafted using the same hat making equipment that was in use when cowboys roamed the Wild West.

Our usual delivery time is 10 weeks for our Custom Western Hats. For the near future we're able to offer 6- 8 week delivery for our cowboy hats. The Last Best Cowboy Hat. One of a kind Fur-Felt Art.

Western Movie Hats :: More Movie Hats :: Testimonials :: Old West Hats :: Masters of Rodeo :: Cowboy Hat Home

Custom Gun Leather
The Masterson - Custom Cross Draw Holster

Canadian Bat Masterson was one of the most feared and respected "Shootist's" of the Old West. He employed a cross-draw pull, and his skill with a hand gun was such that everyone kept theirs holstered with Masterson around. Own a classic custom holster inspired by Bat's simple - yet elegant rig.

Shown in black cow hide, with heavy, plain black belt. In the holster is a 45 Cal. Schofield Agent Model, with 3 1/2" barrel - nickel plated. We will custom make to accommodate the make, model, and calibre of your firearm. Side arm is very secure when pushed down in the holster and comes with a hammer tie-down. Click for our Custom Leather Page

 

 

Deadwood Steel Custom Knives.

Our knives are premier quality, made from high carbon steel and are built to last for generations. Our knife-maker is an old-time craftsman who takes great pride in his craft.

Custom Knives from The Last Best West

Pictured at left is one of our custom frontier knives. The absolute best in steel and horn artistry, our DEADWOOD STEEL line of knives is for the knowledgeable buyer, and serious outdoorsman.

Work-a-day knife - or work of art? Most people would say both. 

E-mail questions to:

Click for our Custom Knife Page

The Cowboy Code or Code of the Old West

The Code of the West was an intangible thing born out of necessity for survival, and is more of an observation on how people acted, then anything else. . .in essence this was the Code of the West: A true Cowboy always helps his neighbor, feeds a stranger and his horse, and maintains his free and in dependant spirit. In the Old West you never asked a stranger his name or where he came from. It was considered a slight to call another man by his last name - and often last names weren't even known. A cowboy's loyalty to his ranch, his friends, and his abilities as a rider and a cow hand were all that mattered. Click for more about the Code of the Old West.

Cowboy Ten Commandments

Just one God.

Honor yer Ma & Pa.

No telling tales or gossipin'.

Git ye to Sunday meetin’.

Put nothin' before God.

No foolin' around with another fella's gal.

No killin'.

Watch yer mouth.

Don't take what ain't yers.

Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's gear.

Cowboy Lingo  :: top of page

Saloon Girl

Sonja and friend Cody from Spokane.

Where'd those great Cowboy Hats from the Western Movies come from?
Many were versions of traditional cowboy hats from the 1800s - but most were from the imaginations of the early movie stars like Tom Mix. The old "B" Westerns from the 1930s and 40s were rife with grandiose Cowboy Hats. Many of today's most popular mass produced cowboy hat designs were first seen in the Movies.
  • A still from a silent western from the 1920s. Notice the "Sugarloaf" Western Sombrero on the left. This shape was the transition from a straight sombrero to the Cowboy Hat. The actor in the middle is wearing a version of our "Champie"
  • Nothings new under the Sun! Henry Fonda as Wyatt Earp in My Darling Clementine {1946} The shape of his Cowboy Hat is almost the same as hats in later Western Movies: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and Open Range.
  • A young Ben Johnson with a great Character Hat in the classic western, She Wore A Yellow Ribbon {1949} 
  • Alan Ladd as "Shane" {1953} wearing a gunfighter style cowboy hat similar to our version - the Hidalgo.
Custom Posters.
Dodge City Peace Commission photo of 1876
Seated Left to right: Charley Bassett, Wyatt Earp, Frank McLain, Neal Brown.
Back Row from Left: Longfellow (standing in for W. H. Smith), Luke Short, Bat Masterson, and W. F. Petillon.

Want your picture blended in an archival old west photo? Have a look at our custom wanted poster page - here.

Old West Posters

Old West Badges

 

Best Cowboy Poster.

Updated november 2009
The Last Best West The Best Cowboy Gear