Pendleton Woolen Mills

Published 6:21 am Wednesday, May 25, 2011

For more than a century, Pendleton Woolen Mills has made high quality blankets and clothing that are prized throughout the country.

You can see where it all began at Pendleton Woolen Mills on Court Place in Pendleton.

The company first opened its doors in 1909 and began weaving colorful wool blankets for Native Americans. Native Americans throughout the West considered the intricately designed blankets very valuable. They traded jewelry and other goods for them.

After successfully cornering the market on wool blankets, Pendleton began producing plaid fashions for men in the 1920s. Plaid shirts had traditionally been plain and gray, but Pendleton Woolen Mills introduced a colorful flair to them. By the 1960s, the Beach Boys (then called the Pendletones) sported the companys plaid shirts on two album covers, increasing the shirts popularity even more. Pendleton started making womens fashions in the 1940s jackets, shirts, skirts, etc.

Pendleton Woolen Mills was opened by three brothers: Clarence, Roy and Chauncey Bishop. The Bishop family still owns and manages the company today.

From small beginnings, Pendleton Woolen Mills has expanded greatly. Company headquarters are now in Portland. There are 70 Pendleton stores across the country.

Pendleton owns seven facilities that supervise the cloth-making process from start to finish. Managers purchase the raw wool, including some produced by Pendleton-area sheep growers. The company dyes it and spins strands of fibers into yarn. Fabric is made into home and clothing products. It is then sold at specialty and department stores, Pendleton shops, by catalog and by Internet. For more information on Pendleton Woolen Mills, go to www.pendleton-usa.com

The mill in Pendleton mostly produces blankets. There, employees do carding, spinning and weaving. Materials then are sent to the company facility in Washougal, Washington, where the blankets are finished.

Tours are given at 1307 SE Court Place. Tours are free and last about 20 minutes. They are offered Monday through Friday at 9 and 11 a.m., and 1:30 and 3 p.m.  On Saturdays and Sundays, mill employees do not run the machines, but visitors can still tour the facility at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. For information on tours, call (541) 276-6911.

A salesroom is also available at the mill in Pendleton. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.