It's Thursday, It's Thursday, It's Thursday! We are almost through another week folks and that means it's time, yet again, for another Thursday Tack and Tale from Stockmen's Memorial Foundation.
This week the story of the oldest hat that hangs in the rafters at Stockmen's, but also one of the nicest. Mr. Ford Pratt's chapeau.
Ford Pratt was born in the small village of North Gower, Ontario, just south of Ottawa. Pratt was an avid hockey player in his younger days and dedicated most of his time to the sport. His father was the village blacksmith who eventually passed away from tuberculosis along with a few other family members. As a result of this, Pratt went out of his way to help the KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation.
When a young Pratt was just 17-years-old he decided to venture into the civil service. He eventually became a Deputy Minister of the Interior and negotiated with governments over land lease, transportation and health regulations all relating to livestock. During a trip to Calgary in 1929, Pratt would be surprised with a gift from The Western Stock Growers' Association. Headgear he would go on to don for several years. It was definitely not your typical hat, being a little odd at first glance, but one that was sure something to look at.
The Western Stock Growers' Association (WSGA) was founded in 1896 by a group of cattlemen residing in what would one day be known as Alberta. The association boasts some prominent, established faces throughout history and still continues on today making it one of the longest running agriculture organizations in Alberta.
Pratt's hat must have cost the WSGA a pretty penny as it would be purchased from Tom Campbell's "Smile" Hat Shop in Calgary. The illustrious store focused on mens hats and even served the Royal family in 1921. For many years Tom Campbell advertised his trade on a hill which overlooks the Bow River in the Northeast part of Calgary. In 1991 this hill would honour the hatter and take the name Tom Campbell's Hill.
Pratt's hat is that of the 'superbrock' style. Etched inside in bright pink is a naked baby with the slogan "The naked truth is not immodest."
