For years, Smokey Bear’s iconic hat was lost to history. But thanks to a retired teacher doing some housecleaning and efforts of a local U.S. Forest Service officer, the wide-brimmed brown hat is now safely held at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. “It’s a really cool piece of history and related to the early days of Smokey Bear,” said Mike Davis of the Gainesville-based Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests. The hat belonged to Harry Rossoll, an Atlanta artist who used it as a model for his Smokey Bear illustrations, elevating the bear’s popularity to cultural status.