Pendleton Woolen Mills

Jill's Journal: Chances are you’ve heard the name Pendleton Woolen Mills at some point, whether it’s because of the famous Pendleton plaids, or women’s or men’s wear, or the home goods or blankets. The Beach Boys even wore Pendleton shirts on two of their iconic album covers. This sixth-generation, family-owned business has 70 stores across the country as well as a strong catalogue and Internet presence.

But in this day and age with most textiles made in other countries, I’ll bet most people outside the Pacific Northwest don’t realize there’s an actual woolen mill and it’s in…Pendleton! The company has seven total facilities, five of which are in Oregon and one each in Washington and Nebraska. Pendleton Woolen Mills got its start elsewhere in Oregon in 1863 and in 1909 expanded to Pendleton. They took over a defunct, 1895 woolen mill and remain at the same location today. It’s here that all of their exquisite Indian blankets are made.

Pendleton’s Indian blankets are jacquard, or woven on a loom “interlacing several hundred warp threads to create a rich, colorful, often intricate double-sided pattern (Pendleton USA).”

They’re based on the tradition of Indian Trading Blankets, harkening back to when Europeans came to these lands and found wool blankets to have remarkable trade value. Pendleton’s Indian blankets, although introduced just 102 years ago, have a tremendous following.

“Car loads of blankets traveled from Pendleton, Oregon to the Southwest tribes to be exchanged for silver jewelry, wool, or other items of value. The colorful blankets were integrated into everyday and ceremonial uses; part of a dowry, weddings, gift giving, pow wows, dance prizes, naming ceremonies, funerals, and memorials (sometimes blankets are packed in a coffin or a coffin is lined with a blanket to keep the loved one warm on his journey).

“The value of the blanket is practical from an economic standpoint. For a time, there were two things acquired by young people for security in case of economic hardship; a Bulova watch for a man and a good blanket for a woman; either one of which could be pawned for a fair amount of money to tide them over to better times. Rarely did the owner not return to reclaim the blanket as soon as possible.” –Pendleton USA

My favorite facts about Pendleton Woolen Mills: not only are these blankets made in the USA, but they use pure virgin wool, or real wool that is shorn from a sheep (apparently not always the case in other manufactured wool items). Pendleton Woolen Mills practices vertical manufacturing, meaning they purchase the wool straight off the sheep and control the product all the way to the consumer.

The vivid colors and wild patterns at every turn are a feast for the eyes. Unfortunately, the mill was in summer shutdown mode this week, so we saw it idle instead of in operation. Our tour was actually quite a disappointment, not because the mill was quiet, but because our young guide seemed ill-prepared to lead a group. She simply hustled us through the factory and nervously threw a few words our way before trailing off her sentences without finishing them. Her answers whenever someone in the group had a question did kind of crack me and Rob up because it sounded like she was making them up as she went along. (For instance, one lady asked where the sheep that produce the wool are located and she said something to the effect of, “Hmmm, they come from Oregon, I guess... Oh and Washington. And probably Idaho. And...Chile. Oh wait, they come from all over the place.”) And then the tour abruptly ended, but she didn’t say it was over – she just walked away and left the 20 or 25 of us standing there wondering if we should follow her. It was very bizarre and one of the poorest factory tours we’ve been on.

Luckily, the gorgeous blankets and other Pendleton products all over the store, where the tour so conveniently started and ended, almost helped us forget the disappointment of the tour. We could have gone on quite the shopping spree and easily found 100 items – blankets, clothing, etc. – we would have loved to purchase, but didn’t. It wasn’t the high prices that kept our wallets closed, as these are wonderful, high-quality products that last…it was the “dry clean only” that kept me in check! These days, with little kids, if I can’t wash it, I probably don’t need it. :)