In 1923, artist Lon Megargee depicted a cowboy kneeling to give his horse a drink from his upturned hat. This plainspoken masterwork was originally published on the cover of Western Story magazine. The John B. Stetson Company bought the rights to the image in 1923. Since then, it has been featured in Stetson advertising, as well as on hat boxes, posters, and on the liners of some of Stetson’s most iconic hats.
An icon of the Stetson brand for more than 100 years, “The Last Drop from His Stetson,” endures as a symbol of the American cowboy’s values of resourcefulness, compassion and humility. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of “The Last Drop from His Stetson,” Stetson has partnered with Pendleton to reimagine Lon Megargee’s iconic artwork as a special-edition jacquard blanket.
The Artist
Artist Lon Megargee (1883-1960) was born in Philadelphia, PA and moved out west as a boy, where he began wrangling at age 13 and later spent time working as a cowboy in Wickenburg, Arizona. He drew upon his experience in the saddle to create “The Last Drop from His Stetson.”
Stetson kicked off the 100th anniversary celebration with a limited edition Western hat. As part of the launch, they commissioned three contemporary artists, Logan Maxwelle Hagege, Thomas Blackshear and Bella McGoldrick, to reimagine Megargee’s original artwork in their own style.
About the Blanket
Pendleton’s surface design team met with the team at Stetson to discuss ideas on how to translate this painting into a Pendleton blanket. The biggest challenge was to evoke the colors and detailed textures from the original artwork in a woven blanket design. Pendleton’s mill technical designer simplified the painting’s palette to meet loom requirements.
With drawing techniques and color arrangement in textile design software, our designers achieved a depth in color and texture that honors the original painting. Each CAD iteration was presented to the Stetson team, and revised based on feedback. The blanket is very much a collaborative effort of both teams at Stetson and Pendleton.
The special-edition blanket translates the original artwork using a three-color jacquard weaving technique. It was woven on our looms in Pendleton, Oregon, and finished at our Washougal, Washington facility. Each blanket is individually packaged in a Beaver State box and includes a “Last Drop from His Stetson” commemorative story card and custom sewn-on patch.
Stuffed animals are a child’s favorite. Soft and comforting, a stuffed animal lets a child’s imagination roam free. To bring you these Pendleton-exclusive stuffies, we have partnered with Bunnies by the Bay®, a small family-owned company founded on Fidalgo Island in Washington State.
Bucky the Horse
Bucky is available in two designs; the Alto Mesa pattern:
…or a classic Pendleton ombre plaid:
He is adorable either way. Each horse is quality crafted from supersoft and durable materials, with a sweet hand-embroidered face.
Another option is this sweet little sheep, crafted in the softest “fleece” and wearing a mini-bandana in an exclusive Pendleton pattern, with a sweet hand-embroidered face.
You can choose a white sheep or a cream colored sheep. More information here: Sweet Sheep
More information:
Limited to stock on hand. Discount offered for a limited time. Free ground shipping until December 12th.
More Pendleton gifts for the young ones: Kids & Babies
To celebrate this pattern’s century milestone, our weavers created something special: the limited edition Century Harding blanket in an edition of, yes, 1,923. The Harding blanket has always been colored with solid ground. The Century Harding blanket (and the apparel fabrics) have ground woven in an ombre: Navy into royal blue into turquoise into a khaki, finishing with a bright, fresh green. The first photo in this post shows the ombre in detail.
A new commemorative color celebrates 100 years of the Harding pattern with a refreshed layout. In 1923, President Warren G. Harding and First Lady Florence Harding visited Oregon’s Blue Mountain Country to dedicate a portion of the Old Oregon Trail. At the ceremony, leaders of the Cayuse and Umatilla Nations presented Mrs. Harding with a newly designed blanket to reflect their admiration of her sincere and forthright nature. For a century, the Harding pattern has been one of Pendleton’s most sought after signature patterns. This bright, exciting ombre celebrates its evergreen popularity.
It is almost September, which means it’s almost time for another Pendleton Round-Up.
The town of Pendleton is home to our original mill, and our company has been involved with the Round-Up since its very beginning, including the controversial saddle bronc competition of 1911 immortalized by Oregon’s Ken Kesey in his novel, The Last Go-Round.
It was around a sagebrush campfire in eastern Oregon that Kesey first heard the tale from his father – about the legendary “last go round” that took place at the original Pendleton Round Up in 1911. Hundreds of riders were competing for the first World Championship Broncbusting title, but it was one special trio of buckeroos that provided the drama: a popular black cowboy, George Fletcher; a Nez Perce Indian cowboy, Jackson Sundown; and a fresh-faced kid from Tennessee name of Johnathan E. Lee Spain. Who would walk away with the prize money and the silver-studded saddle? When the dust cleared, everyone knew they’d witnessed something extraordinary (Amazon.com).
We’ve written before about Jackson Sundown. Today, we’d like to talk about another one of those three cowboys: saddle bronc rider George Fletcher.
George Fletcher
Fletcher was born in 1890 in Saint Mary’s, Kansas. His family came West on the Oregon Trail when he was quite young. He grew up near Pendleton, Oregon, working with horses at ranches and on the Umatilla Reservation. He entered his first rodeo at the age of 16 and went on to become one of the finest saddle bronc riders on the circuit.
Fletcher is best remembered for his presence at the 1911 Pendleton Round-Up, where he was the first African American to ever compete in bronc riding. Judges awarded first prize (the winner’s saddle) to Spain. Second place went to Fletcher and third to Sundown.
George Fletcher, Public Domain
To put it mildly, the crowd did not agree with the decision. Witnesses said the enraged audience began to take apart the grandstand, plank by plank. In order to calm the crown, Sheriff Til Taylor tore George Fletcher’s hat into pieces. He sold the scraps to the audience until he had raised enough money to buy Fletcher a champion’s saddle, declaring him “The People’s Champion.”
Fletcher continued to ride, but he was not allowed to compete in many large rodeos. Other cowboys refused to compete against him, due to both his skill and his race. But he continued to display his skills. According to the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, “Fletcher made exhibition rides on rank broncs, bulls and buffalos at Pendleton and elsewhere prior to his service in World War I. After the war he cowboyed for many years in Oregon…George Fletcher passed from the arena in 1971.”
Today
When the Round-Up began its Hall of Fame in 1969, Fletcher was among the first group of ten honorees. Learn more about the Hall of Fame here: Pendleton Round-Up Hall of Fame
In 2014, the city of Pendleton erected a bronze statue of George Fletcher by artist Jerry Werner.
photo courtesy Travel Oregon
The statue is located the 300 block of Main Street as part of Pendleton’s Bronze Trail, which commemorates people and places in the town’s history. You can read more here: The Bronze Trail
This month, as the Pendleton Round-Up approaches, we want to highlight some of the blankets that are so important to our company history. These are jacquard blankets, also known as Trade blankets, for their key role in early trading post transactions. These geometric patterns take their name from the jacquard looms on which they’re woven.
The story of Oregon is also our story. Our weaving legacy’s founder, Thomas Kay, arrived in Oregon in 1863, the same year it was recognized as a state. Here are some distinctively Pendleton blankets that celebrate Oregon’s landmarks, landscapes, and history.
The Oregon Blankets
Wyeth Trail
In 1834, stories of the Western frontier drew a Massachusetts inventor named Nathaniel Wyeth to the Oregon territories. The Wyeth Trail did not lead its namesake to fame and fortune, but his path endured to become part of the Oregon Trail’s 2,170 miles. With a balanced pattern of peaks, this pattern shows a perilous trail passing through dry plains, fertile valleys, and pristine rivers, surrounded on both sides by the beautiful mountain ranges of Oregon.
Wyeth Trail is available in twin, Queen, and King. See it here in Oxford (shown) and the original Wheat: Wyeth Trail
Smith Rock
The towering face of Smith Rock overlooks a bend in Oregon’s Crooked River, challenging climbers from around the world to scale its heights. Considered by many to be the birthplace of American sport climbing, Smith Rock State Park offers several thousand climbs, many of them bolted, in its 650 acres of high peaks, deep river canyons, and hiking trails like Misery Ridge. This pattern, based on a traditional nine-element blanket, alternates the park’s peaks with the many paths traveled by hikers and climbers.
Smith Rock is available in twin, Queen, and King sizes. (King shown). In the twin size, it is a perfect nine element pattern, one of the oldest and most popular types of Trade blankets. See your options here: Smith Rock
Agate Beach
Agate, a banded form of chalcedony, formed billions of years ago in volcanic pockets. In the cooler seasons of the year, storms and waves dislodge agates from gravel beds along the Oregon shoreline. Beachcombers and rock hounds search for stones that range in color from inky black, to vivid fire tones, to rare and valuable blues, to soft greys and misty pinks. In this pattern, striated stones emerge from a sandy background to glow softly under Oregon’s gentle skies.
Agate Beach has a whipstitch binding. It is available in Twin, and a beautiful wool throw. See it here: Agate Beach
Siskiyou
Siskiyou is said to be Chinook Jargon for a bob-tailed horse, lost on a trip over this 100-mile mountain range on the Oregon/California border. When Native riders set out to find the horse, they gave range and pass this enduring name. In this pattern, the Siskiyou Mountains are flanked by the two watersheds they divide; the Rogue and Klamath rivers. Repeating peaks represent the diverse flora, which spans coastal to Cascadian with Coast Redwood, Alaska Yellow-Cedar and Pacific Silver Fir.
Siskyou is available in our original twin/robe size only. See it here: Siskiyou
Bridge Creek
The central motif of this pattern represents Bridge Creek, a sometimes calm, sometimes tempestuous waterway that runs through the center of Mitchell, Oregon. This tiny town once held a thriving business district with rollicking saloons known as “Tiger Town,” and a hillside residential area known as “Piety Hill.” Today, Mitchell welcomes travelers to geological landmarks in Eastern Oregon; the John Day Fossil Beds and the Painted Hills, both represented by complex bands of patterns.
Bridge Creek is available in our original twin/robe size. See it here: Bridge Creek
Pilot Rock
In Oregon’s Western Cascades, Pilot Rock rises thousands of feet above the Rogue and Shasta Valleys. The area’s original Native American inhabitants, the Takelma, called it Tan-ts’at-seniphtha, or Stone Standing Up. In its shadow, the Takelma (“those along the river”) built villages of semi-subterranean homes. Netting, hunting and foraging allowed the Takelma to live harmoniously along the Rogue River. Arrows represent salmon swimming into nets, and large baskets overflow with abundant acorns and camas.
Pilot Rock is a classic nine element pattern. It is available in our original twin/robe size. See it here: Pilot Rock
Diamond Peak
In central Oregon, Diamond Peak shows the marks of time. Rising to 8,748 feet, it was carved by glaciers into a range of mountainous subfeatures: Mount Yoran, Lakeview Mountain, and dramatic cinder cones. This slumbering shield volcano has not erupted in 10,000 years, making it dormant, perhaps extinct. The pattern’s peaks and valleys echo the landscape, part of the Pacific Crest Trail and ancestral territory of many Oregon tribes, including the Klamath, Modoc and Yahooskin peoples.
Diamond Peak is available in our original twin/robe size. See it here: Diamond Peak
Another Western Story
Pendleton, Oregon is a true Western town. It is known for the Round-Up, of course, but it is also home to the original Pendleton Woolen Mill, where we weave these famed blankets. If you’re planning a trip, please pay us a visit. You can take a mill tour (information here: Pendleton Mill Tours) as you partake everything that the city of Pendleton offers. We would love to see you.
The Harding pattern celebrates 100 years in 2023. This design commemorates a visit to Oregon’s Blue Mountain country by President Warren G. Harding and his wife, who traveled West to dedicate a portion of the Old Oregon Trail. But the Harding blanket is not named for our 29th President.
First Lady Florence Harding
At the dedication ceremony, the First Lady was gifted this robe by two local leaders, Chief Cap Sumkins of the Cayuse Tribe and Chief Poker Jim of the Umatilla Tribe. They personally commissioned this robe from the Pendleton mill to honor Mrs. Harding’s sincere and forthright nature. Pendleton’s weavers modified a Chief Joseph pattern and produced a fringed shawl in shades of white, tan, yellow, and red. Mrs. Harding graciously accepted the blanket, and by all accounts was delighted with her gift.
Century Harding
To celebrate this pattern’s century milestone, our weavers created something special: the limited edition Century Harding blanket in an edition of, yes, 1,923. The Harding blanket has always been colored with solid ground. The Century Harding blanket (and the apparel fabrics) have ground woven in an ombre: Navy into royal blue into turquoise into a khaki, finishing with a bright, fresh green. The first photo in this post shows the ombre in detail.
A new commemorative color celebrates 100 years of the Harding pattern with a refreshed layout. In 1923, President Warren G. Harding and First Lady Florence Harding visited Oregon’s Blue Mountain Country to dedicate a portion of the Old Oregon Trail. At the ceremony, leaders of the Cayuse and Umatilla Nations presented Mrs. Harding with a newly designed blanket to reflect their admiration of her sincere and forthright nature. For a century, the Harding pattern has been one of Pendleton’s most sought after signature patterns. This bright, exciting ombre celebrates its evergreen popularity.
The Century Harding pattern is also available in limited edition jackets for men and women, and a variety of accessories.
Pendleton is proud to present “Resting Place” by Logan Maxwell Hagege. Hagege creates works that are celebrated for their harmonious composition, texture, and depth. His works are highly sought after. This blanket offers a rare opportunity to own a work by one of the most celebrated contemporary artists of the American West.
His Instagram has beautiful paintings, inspo shots, and information about his latest shows: LMH on Instagram
RESTING PLACE
A well-worn hat on a split-rail fence offers a moment of respite for the rider who hung it there, as its rounded shape offers a centered counterbalance to the horizontal sweep of mountain buttes and fence rails behind it. Logan Maxwell Hagege is a Los Angeles-based contemporary artist whose modern visions of the American West use repeating shapes to create a visual narrative for each composition, distilling shapes to their essence while celebrating their complexity.
Learn more about this blanket at Pendleton-usa.com. Resting Place
Inspiration
Here is the painting from which this design was adapted.
Enjoy a video of his “Dear Old Western Sky” exhibition at the Maxwell Alexander Gallery here:
“Resting Place” joins “A Horse Called Paint” by Judd Thompson in Pendleton’s Artists Collection. Learn more about that piece here: “A Horse Called Paint”
