stormy kromer

The Stormy Kromer cap is a woolen hat manufactured by Stormy Kromer Mercantile. The hat is popular in the Midwest region of the United States and with hunters and outdoorsmen. It is named for George "Stormy" Kromer (1876–1970), a semiprofessional baseball player from Kaukauna, Wisconsin, who later worked as a railroad engineer. Kromer lost many hats to the wind while working on trains, and in 1903, he asked his wife Ida (1877–1960) to make him a warm hat that would stay on more securely. She modified a baseball cap into what became the Stormy Kromer cap by sewing on a pair of ear flaps. A summer version, made from pillow ticking, remains in use among modern American train engineers, and variants with red or blue polka dots were formerly popular in the early 20th century. Due to popularity with other employees of the railroad, the Kromers formed the Kromer Cap Company in 1903 to produce the caps.