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.
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!
Why
should men have all the fun?
Over
the years, many of the wives and girlfriends that have
ordered hats for their cowboys, have asked when we were
going to do some strictly ladies hats. - so here we go,
and remember ladies; back in the day all women's hats
had the bow on the right.
Exceptional
Service from The Last Best West
Ladies, we will give you expert personal
service designing your Traditional Old West, or Classic
Western Movie Hat. If
you don't see what you want - send us a picture - and
we'll make our version of that hat.
Custom
Gun Leather
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. Click
for our Custom Gun Leather Page
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 crownsmay
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Dodge
City Peace Commission photo of 1876
Seated Left to right: Charley Bassett,
Wyatt Earp, Frank McLain, Neal Brown.
Back Row from Left: Longfellow
(recruited in 2007), 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.
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