Legacy INDUCTEE

MONTANA MAD HATTERS (EST 1999)

DISTRICT 12 - YEAR 2026

The story of Montana Mad Hatters all started in the imagination of one little girl with a tremendous attention to detail. Sheila was the daughter of Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rodeo announcer Lyle Graves. Through her many travels to different rodeos, Sheila would often notice a style of hat she especially liked and as soon as she arrived home would run to her tea kettle and shape away on her little hat, trying to create the same style she had just seen on someone else.

Over the years, Sheila’s life led her to many occupations, including retail store manager, working at the local stockyards, and even ditch digging. Hat making, though, was her destiny. 

In 1983, her dream of working in a custom hat shop was realized in the formation of Kirkpatrick Custom Hatters. Sheila’s business began in a ranch bunkhouse outside the small town of Wisdom, Montana. It wasn’t long before news of Sheila’s hat quality and her attention to detail had spread far and wide. People started coming from miles around to purchase one of her custom made hats she created using antique tools and methods. 

The hat shop was eventually moved into Wisdom, and caught the attention of even more people. The hats became longtime favorites of working cattlemen and cowboys throughout the state and beyond, crowning the heads of celebrities like Hank Williams Jr., Cheryl Ladd (Chris Monroe on Charlie’s Angels), Tim Scott (Pea Eye on Lonesome Dove), and T.V. personality Willard Scott. The state of Montana even commissioned Sheila to build a hat for the 41st U.S. President, George H. W. Bush.  

In 1985, Ericka, the youngest of Sheila’s four children was born. That didn’t slow her down one bit. Sheila did what most women of the West do: she took Ericka to work with her every day. Ericka grew up watching her mother create beautiful works of art, while continuing to take great care and detail in the quality and fit of each and every hat. In an attempt to keep Ericka’s little hands busy and her imagination entertained, Sheila started having her learn small parts of the hat making process. One of Ericka’s fondest memories is of helping her mom in the shop and standing in front of the large metal crown renovating machine. While the hat spun round and round, Ericka would hold a piece of sandpaper in her hands, sanding until just the right smooth finish was achieved. To this day, sanding (also known as pouncing) is Ericka’s favorite part of hat making. The felt getting softer and softer with each turn is still a comfort to Ericka, almost like a childhood blanket.  

In 1992, when inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, Texas, Sheila was honored for her expertise in her craft and the ability to “preserve a bit of the Old West,” each time she turned out a hat. 

After 15 years of building Kirkpatrick Hatters, Sheila decided to sell her business in 1995 and help full-time on the family ranch but found she just couldn’t stay away: hat making kept calling her back. With the help of Sheila’s neighbor and friend, Jann Potter, Montana Mad Hatters was born in 1999, and made its home in Twin Bridges, in the heart of the Ruby Valley.

After 40 years of hat making, Sheila began handing the reins over to her daughter Ericka, who continues to ensure the quality and integrity that is well-known at Montana Mad Hatters. Ericka, like her mother, embarked on different career paths before recognizing that her destiny was in hat making as well. She continues to honor her heritage and carry on the family legacy of hat making. 

Montana Mad Hatters has deep roots in Montana’s history and is building for the future.

Reference:

1992 National Cowgirl Hall of Fame; Fort Worth, Texas