D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A • S P R I N G 2 0 1 6
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Situated where the Tongue River and the Yellowstone River (pictured here at sunrise) come together, Miles City is surrounded with vast
expanses of prairie grasslands, punctuated with badlands, making this part of Montana ideally suited for cattle ranching. The local
look here is very casual — plenty of cowboys in older pickups with a dog riding shotgun, and then the rancher driving a king cab with
his faithful dog at his side. The plaid work shirt, and either the well-worn cowboy hat or baseball cap pretty well sums it all up.
What to do when you find yourself jobless? For Ken Hess,
it meant picking up on a dream he had of making hats.
So he found a hatter to teach him the ropes, and 17
years later, he is still at it from his store on MC's Main
Street, Kickin' Ass Hat Company. Ken will say he chose
this unique name as he wanted something people would
remember. He is proud to say he has sold hats to folks
in 48 states and 10 foreign countries (last year was the
first for sending one to Africa).
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