pendleton mill

A Beautiful Mural Celebrates the Columbia River

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Washougal, Washington

Colorful mural of the Columbia at the Pendleton mill in Washougal, washington

As the weather improves in the Pacific Northwest, and your weekends become more adventurous, consider a trip to our Washougal Pendleton Store. Washougal is just across the bridge from Portland. In fact, it sits on the banks of the beautiful Columbia River. One reason to visit? You can see the new mural on the north wall of the Pendleton Woolen Mills building.

The design incorporates Pendleton’s park and camp stripes into a landscape of the Columbia Gorge, and includes the river’s landmarks. Sharp-eyed viewers have identified Cape Horn, Beacon Rock, Mount Hood and the Columbia River. This is a perfect place for a selfie or two. Tag us with @pendletonwm or #Pendleton because we would love to see your smiles against this colorful backdrop.

Artist Travis London

The mural had its official unveiling and dedication last fall.

The mural is unveiled, crowd taking phone pics

Travis London, a Vancouver School District art teacher who grew up in Washougal, has painted quite a few public murals there.

Travis London sketches in the mural design, standing on a motorized lift.

His next project will be a mural on the Inter-Faith Treasure House building. The mural, artist, and event were featured in the East Oregonian. 

According to the article, Travis first approached the company in 2012. “It means a lot,” he said. “I grew up in Washougal, and I’ve been here basically my whole life. That building is one of the town’s (most significant cultural) landmarks. Leaving my mark and creating something that the com-munity can appreciate makes me feel really good. That’s the whole point of doing public art — trying to connect with the community and hopefully make something that they enjoy.” Pendleton gifted artist Travis London with a blanket to thank him for his vision and persistence.

Artist Travis London is gifted a Crater Lake National Park blanket by Pendleton managers.

Visit Us Soon

Come see the mural in person! If you’re visiting on a weekday, you can take a tour of our Washougal Mill. Here’s a link for a tour information: https://www.pendleton-usa.com/mill-tours.html

Pendleton at 2 Pendleton Way
Washougal, WA. 98671
(360) 835-1118

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Hours:
Monday – Saturday 10am – 5pm
Sunday 11am – 5pm

Pendleton Mill Tours are Back

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We’re back, and ready to show you around.

Pendleton is excited to announce that tours of our Washougal, Washington and Pendleton, Oregon mills are now open! These tours showcase the vertical operation that brings Pendleton’s iconic wool blankets and fabrics to life. “We are excited to be able to welcome guests into both of Pendleton’s mills again,” said Rolan Snider, vice president of textile manufacturing at Pendleton. “The mills offer an experience into the commitment, experience, quality and investment in technology that has given the brand its ‘Warranted to Be’ legacy.”

A Little PWM History

The Pendleton mill was originally built in 1893, and has been operating as Pendleton Woolen Mills since 1909. That is the year when Fanny Kay Bishop realized what an opportunity the idled facility held, and urged her three sons to buy and revive it. The Bishop Brothers restored and improved operations with the support of the Pendleton community.

The Pendleton mill has always specialized in traditional wool bed blankets. These are woven on jacquard looms to give our blankets curvilinear designs that are often different on front and back, for a reversible option. The company acquired the Washougal mill in 1912 to expand its range of fabrics, with specialized looms for plaids, herringbones, stripes, tweeds…all the weaves found in clothing textiles and plaid blankets.

Today’s Mills

In the early 1900s, the Pendleton mills were two of over 1,000 woolen mills operating in America’s 46 states. Today, they are two of the remaining four woolen mills in the United States. Both mills are continually updated for sustainability and innovation. Said VP Rolan Snyder, “Within each mill, the looms present a unique view into the craftsmanship behind how Pendleton fabrics are created.” The mill tour in Washougal, Washington walks guests through every step in the making of Pendleton wool blankets and fabric. This includes:

 –            Raw wool: sourced from local and global wool ranchers

–             Dyeing: state-of-the-art dye color lab to ensure color control and matching

–             Wool carding and spinning: turning wool into yarn

–             Weaving on dobby looms: creates Pendleton’s famous plaids, stripes and solids

–             Finishing touches: washing, hand inspection and boxing

The mill tour in Pendleton, Oregon offers guests an inside look into:

–             Jacquard looms: state-of-the-art two-story looms weaving graphic and pictorial designs

–             Wool spinning: turning wool into yarn

Come see us soon!

The Washougal Mill is located at 2 Pendleton Way, Washougal, Washington 98671. Tours are offered at the Washougal Mill on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 11a.m. and 1p.m.

The Pendleton Mill is located at 1307 SE Court Place, Pendleton, Oregon 97801. Tours are offered at the Pendleton Mill Monday through Friday at 11a.m. and 3p.m.

And if you can’t join us in person, here is a little mill tour for you: A Morning at the Washougal Mill.

Logo for Pendleton Woolen Mills, "Born in Oregon"

Pendleton Fabric Expertise – A Story of Generations

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A Century of Weaving

Pendleton textiles are renowned for their quality, beauty and craftsmanship. Where did we learn to make fabric like this? Our expertise is generational, earned over a century of weaving in America.

The Beginning

The company known today as Pendleton Woolen Mills actually had its genesis in one mill; the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill in Salem, Oregon, founded by Thomas Kay, a master weaver from England.

A photo of the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill in Salem, Orebon. This 2.5 story building is red brick with rows of white-trimmed windows.

Thomas Kay brought extensive knowledge to his own mill, after a career that started in his childhood as a bobbin boy, and grew into management of large mills in the UK and the US before he finally opened his own. He specialized in fabrics for tailoring, and produced the first bolt of worsted wool west of the Mississippi.

The Next Generation

His daughter, Fannie Kay, became her father’s protégé in her teen years. She learned weaving and mill management at her father’s side. Fannie Kay became Fannie Bishop upon her marriage to Charles P. Bishop, a prominent Salem merchant. Their three sons opened the Pendleton Woolen Mill in Pendleton, Oregon, in 1909. That mill is still running today! The Kay/Bishop history extends through today’s Pendleton. The Bishop family still owns and operates Pendleton Woolen Mills. And Pendleton’s fabric expertise grows each year, as we challenge ourselves to do more with wool.

Today’s Mills

Fabric weaving was once a major industry in the United States, with more than 800 mills in operation. Today only a handful of those mills remain.  Our facilities in Pendleton, Oregon, and Washougal, Washington, are two of the very few woolen mills still operating in North America.

Pendleton, Oregon

This photo is a vintage postcard image of the Pendleton, Oregon woolen mill. The building is grey brick, with rows of windows trimmed in white, and large front doors on the first, second and third floors at the front of the building.

The Pendleton, Oregon mill opened in 1909, taking over a defunct wool-scouring plant on the banks of the Columbia River and transforming it into a full mill under the direction of Clarence, Roy and Chauncey Bishop. The location had been scouted by Fannie Kay Bishop, who encouraged her sons to make use of the existing building, the nearby Columbia River, and the supply of high quality wool fleece available from local sheep ranchers.

The company’s original products were wool blankets for Native American customers. Today, the Pendleton mill is open for tours. Travelers can watch those world-famous blankets being woven on two-story looms.

Washougal, Washington

Our Washougal facility sits on the banks of the Columbia River at the entry to the scenic Columbia River Gorge. The Washougal community helped fund the startup of this mill in 1912, and it has been a major employer in this small Washington town ever since.

A vintage sepia-toned photo of the Washougal woolen mill owned by Pendleton Woolen Mills. The mill is two stories tall and in the photo, it is dwarfed by two water towers.

The additional mill gave Pendleton the ability to weave a wider variety of fabrics.

AirLoom Merino (found in our Sir Pendleton shirts) and Umatilla woolen fabric (found in so many of our flannel shirt styles) are both woven in Washougal, as well as fabrics for the women’s line.

Its roots may be historic, but the Washougal mill is a 300,000-square-foot model of modern efficiency. Mill owners come from around the world to tour it, and to learn about Pendleton’s weaving techniques, dyeing processes, and fabric finishing.

The Fabrics

Pendleton Woolen Mills has maintained the quality and craftsmanship of its textiles through decade upon decade of manufacturing in its own facilities. This allows us to maintain quality control from start to finish, from fleece to fashion. Our state-of-the-art computer dyeing technology controls water, dyes, heat, and more. Carding machines, looms and finishing processes are also computer-controlled, allowing for minute adjustments to guarantee uniformity of weave, weight and hand.

Eleven different Pendleton woolen fabrics in a line, showing the different weights and patterns woven on the Pendleton looms.

We can perfect it because we control it, and it shows in our fabrics. We will be exploring some of those special fabrics in the months to come. We hope you’ll follow along.

PWM_USA_label

Answering Questions about Pendleton

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The original (and current) Pendleton WOolen Mill in Pendleton, Oregon.

Claims and Questions

Thanks to our friends who have brought some claims circulating on social media to our attention. We owe an enormous debt of respect and gratitude to the Native Americans and First Nations people who choose our blankets, and care deeply about this relationship. We understand that it’s important to speak the truth.

Our Mills

Pendleton’s mills are our pride and joy, and both are well over a century old. Keeping them updated is a priority and a challenge, but we think it’s worth it to keep weaving in the USA. Our mills are subject to inspections, and when problems are identified, we take immediate action to resolve them. We have earned third-party certification for sustainability (read more here), and our management is committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment for all employees.

Political Donations

We respect the right of current and former employees to make political donations to candidates they personally support. These donations are not endorsements by Pendleton.

Pattern Origins

Pendleton supports the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990. We make our blankets for Native Americans, but we don’t claim our products are made by them. Our company’s history is always part of our marketing and sales materials, and is available on our website.

Pendleton blanket patterns are developed by in-house designers. Some are based on historic designs created to serve the Native American market. Blanket stories, told on hangtags and on the website, credit the inspirations and traditions behind the patterns. We also commission Native American artists to create designs, and adapt existing artwork (usually paintings) into blankets. These artists are always compensated and credited by name for their work. You can learn more here: Native artists.

Pendleton is proud to support organizations that serve Native Americans, veterans and America’s National Parks. Our relationship with The American Indian College Fund spans more than twenty years, and our endowment to the College Fund provides scholarships for Native American students. Pendleton also makes annual donations to NARA (Native American Rehabilitation Center) to support outreach and health care for Native American women.

In 1909, Pendleton was one of many mills producing wool blankets for Native Americans. Now, over a hundred years later, we are the only mill still weaving wool blankets for Native Americans here in the USA. Native Americans were our first, and are still our most valued customers. Thanks to everyone who has written in support of our shared history and friendship.

We hope we have answered your questions, but if you have more concerns, please write to us at PendletonWM@penmills.com and we will respond. We are listening.

Pendleton logo label that shows a drawing of a bald eagle, and the words: "Pendleton since 1863 Highest Quality Made in the USA." This blanket is sewn onto all Pendleton's traditional wool blankets, which are still 00% made in the USA.