{{Short description|American textile manufacturing company}} {{More citations needed|date=September 2014}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2025}} {{Infobox company | name = Pendleton Woolen Mills | type = Private | predecessor = Pendleton Wool-Scouring and Packing Company | founded = {{start date and age|1909}} in Pendleton, Oregon, U.S.{{efn|name=fn1|Pendleton Woolen Mills was incorporated in 1909 under the ownership of the Bishop family.<ref>{{harvnb|Lomax|1974|p=274}}: "On February 16, 1909 the Pendleton Woolen Mills was incorporated under the ownership of the Bishop family."</ref> A predecessor company, the Pendleton Wool-Scouring and Packing Company, was incorporated in 1893.{{sfn|Rothburd|2002|p=275}}{{sfn|Lomax|1974|p=245}} The company expanded from a wool scouring operation to a full woolen mill in 1895 before eventually becoming idle.{{sfn|Rothburd|2002|p=275}} 1895 is given as the year of establishment for Pendleton Woolen Mills in some sources.<ref>{{cite book |entry=Oregon: Pendleton |title=Davison's Textile Blue Book: United States and Canada |volume=37 |location=New York |publisher=Davison Publishing Company |year=1924 |page=471 |entry-url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Davison_s_Textile_Blue_Book/3l0nsH7ftuEC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA471 |via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Oregon: Pendleton |magazine=American Wool and Cotton Reporter |volume=33 |issue=10 |date=March 6, 1919 |page= |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/America_s_Textile_Reporter/_AJZAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA568 |via=Google Books}}</ref>}} | hq_location = Portland, Oregon, U.S. | founders = Bishop family{{efn|Consisting of Charles Pleasant Bishop, Fannie Kay Bishop and their three sons—Clarence Morton, Royal "Roy" Thomas, and Robert Chauncey.<ref name="University of Oregon">{{cite web |title=Collection: Bishop family papers |publisher=University of Oregon |url=https://scua.uoregon.edu/repositories/2/resources/9575 |access-date=December 30, 2025}}</ref>}} | key_people = | industry = Textile industry | products = Woolen blankets, fabric, and clothing | revenue = | operating_income = | net_income = | num_employees = | parent = | divisions = | subsidiaries = | website = {{URL|www.pendleton-usa.com}} }} '''Pendleton Woolen Mills''' is an American textile manufacturing company headquartered in Portland, Oregon. Incorporated in 1909 in Pendleton, Oregon,{{efn|name=fn1}} the company is known for its woolen blankets and clothing.
==History== thumb|The company's Pendleton facility in 2012, at the site of the original mill thumb|Pendleton Woolen Mills {{circa}} 1910 [[File:PH036 2164 Lee Moorhouse photographs - DPLA - 6d6a160cd9c81492ce6cfa60737d81b6.jpg|thumb|A Native American man operates a loom at Pendleton Woolen Mills, photographed by Lee Moorhouse]]
===As Pendleton Wool-Scouring and Packing Company=== In 1893, the Pendleton Wool-Scouring and Packing Company was established in Pendleton, Oregon, as a wool scouring plant,{{sfn|Rothburd|2002|p=275}} where raw wool was scrubbed and packed before shipping out to textile mills in the area. In 1895, it was enlarged and converted into a textile mill that, by the following year, had begun making Native American trade blankets—geometric patterned robes (unfringed blankets) for Native American men and shawls (fringed blankets) for Native American women in the area—the Umatilla, Cayuse, Nez Perce and Walla Walla tribes.{{citation needed|date=December 2025}} That business eventually failed and the plant stood idle until the Bishop family, spurred by Fannie Kay Bishop, purchased it.<ref>{{cite book |last=Phillips |first=Katrina M. |title=Staging Indigeneity: Salvage Tourism and the Performance of Native American History |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |year=2021 |isbn=978-1-4696-6232-9 |page=38 |quote=When Pendleton's Commercial Association started looking for someone to bring the defunct woolen mill back to life, Fannie Kay Bishop pushed her sons to buy the mill. |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Staging_Indigeneity/Ic_9DwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1 |via=Google Books}}</ref>
Martha Ann "Fannie" Kay was the daughter of Thomas Lister Kay, an English-born weaver who founded the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill in Salem, Oregon. Kay introduced Fannie to the operation and management of his mill. In 1876, Fannie married retail merchant Charles Pleasant Bishop. The Bishops passed their expertise and knowledge to their three sons: Clarence Morton, Royal "Roy" Thomas, and Robert Chauncey.<ref name="University of Oregon" />
===Incorporation as Pendleton Woolen Mills=== In 1909, the Bishop family reopened the defunct Pendleton Woolen Mills.<ref>{{cite web |last=Willingham |first=William F. |title=Pendleton Woolen Mills |website=The Oregon Encyclopedia |url=https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/pendleton_woolen_mills/ |access-date=December 20, 2025}}</ref> When the Bishops assumed ownership, they built a new mill with the help of the town of Pendleton, which issued bonds for the mill's construction.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}} The town of Pendleton was a major railhead for the Columbia River Plateau and allowed convenient shipping for the growing business. Pendleton photographer Walter S. Bowman captured early-twentieth century images of the mill's interior, exterior and its workers.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://library.uoregon.edu/speccoll/photo/Pendleton/fbowman.html |title=Walter S Bowman photographs | UO Libraries |access-date=October 18, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402090941/http://library.uoregon.edu/speccoll/photo/Pendleton/fbowman.html |archive-date=April 2, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
===Expansion=== The company began to expand their product line into other woolen textile products and later into apparel. In 1912 the company opened a weaving mill in Washougal, Washington, for the production of woolen fabrics used in suits and other clothing.
The company moved its headquarters to Portland, Oregon, in 1919.{{sfn|Rothburd|2002|p=276}}<ref>{{cite book |entry=Bishop, Charles Pleasant |title=The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography |volume=34 |location=New York |publisher=James T. White & Company |year=1948 |pages=458 |entry-url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015078229211&seq=912 |via=HathiTrust}}</ref>
One of the original three Bishop sons, Clarence Morton Bishop—usually known as "C.M."—started a new product line of men's woolen sport shirts in bright colors and patterns. Prior to that time woolen shirts had been considered work shirts and came in mostly dull colors. In 1924 the company began producing men's woolen sport shirts and by 1929 the company was producing a full line of woolen sportswear.
The second Bishop son, Roy, had left the company in 1918 to form his own company, the Oregon Worsted Company. The third son, Chauncey, died in 1927. This left C.M. with the sole responsibility for management of both woolen mills.
During World War II, 1941–45, Pendleton Woolen Mills devoted most of its production to blankets and fabric for uniforms and clothing for the US military services.
In 1949, after postwar market research showed a desire for women's sportswear, the company introduced a line of wool clothing for women and the '49er jacket proved extremely popular. The reversible pleated "Turnabout Skirt" was also popular, comprising two-skirts-in-one.
In 1961, a little-known singing group known as the ''Pendletones'' was formed, taking their name from the classic Pendleton wool plaid shirt.<ref>{{cite book |last=Murphy |first=James B. |title=Becoming the Beach Boys, 1961–1963 |publisher=McFarland & Company |year=2015 |page=86 |isbn=978-1-4766-1853-1 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Becoming_the_Beach_Boys_1961_1963/iYneCQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA86 |via=Google Books |quote=Around [September 1961], they decided to call themselves the Pendletones, a name inspired by the plaid wool shirts made by the Oregon-based Pendleton Woolen Mills and favored by surfers on chilly nights at the beach ...}}</ref> This group later changed their name to The Beach Boys and the Pendleton shirt became popular among American youth.
In 1972 the company again expanded its product line with the introduction of non-wool garments for men and women. Many customers had a desire for the classic Pendleton style for 'year round wear, but wanted lighter clothing for spring and summer wear. Again the new line was a major success.
==Blankets== thumb|Two women stand wrapped in Pendleton Woolen Mills blankets, photographed by Lee Moorhouse The family resumed the production of Jacquard blankets and introduced new designs, colors, and patterns to their product line. They also changed the construction of the mill's blankets. Prior to 1909 the blankets had round corners. The Bishop blankets featured square corners.
The company expanded their trade from the local indigenous tribes of the Columbia River area to the Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni peoples of the American Southwest. To do this, they enlisted the help of designer Joe Rawnsley, who visited tribes to learn their customs and color preferences. Like many other mills of the day, Pendleton also emulated the multicolor patterns of candy-stripe blankets, like those found on Hudson's Bay point blankets for their Glacier National Park blanket. The Pendleton blankets became not only basic wearing apparel, but also were standards of trading and ceremonial use.
==Retail distribution== Throughout the company's history its products had been sold in specialty stores and selected department stores, including, Charles Pleasant Bishop's original clothing store in Salem. In the 1980s Pendleton entered the retail business with a chain of company-owned and affiliated stores that sold the full line of Pendleton products. The company also began a direct to consumer catalog business and expanded into an ecommerce platform in the 1990s.
Pendleton labels have evolved over time, with blue labels signifying men's garments and white labels indicating women's apparel. A label displaying the Woolmark symbol dates from 1964 or later.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://vintagefashionguild.org/resources/vintage-label-resource/?_az=P#resource_items-24 |title=Vintage Fashion Guild Label Resource |publisher=Vintage Fashion Guild |access-date=May 25, 2025}}</ref>
==Present operations== Pendleton Woolen Mills is a privately held company headquartered in Portland, Oregon. The original mills in Pendleton, Oregon, and Washougal, Washington, are among the few woolen mills in operation in the United States today, and Pendleton woolen fabrics and blankets are still woven in these Pacific Northwest mills. The company operates seven facilities and 41 retail stores. Pendleton products are sold in the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe, Japan, and Korea.
==See also== * Cowichan knitting – Indigenous garment style adapted by Pendleton * {{annotated link|Portland Woolen Mills}}
==Notes== {{notelist}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
===Bibliography=== {{refbegin}} * {{cite book |last=Lomax |first=Alfred L. |title=Later Woolen Mills in Oregon: A History of the Woolen Mills Which Followed the Pioneer Mills |publisher=Binfords & Mort |year=1974 |isbn=0-8323-0238-4}} * {{cite book |last=Rothburd |first=Carrie |entry=Pendleton Woolen Mills, Inc. |editor=Jay P. Pederson |title=International Directory of Company Histories |year=2002 |publisher=St. James Press |volume=42 |pages=275-278 |isbn=1-55862-447-3 |entry-url=https://archive.org/details/internationaldir0000unse_u1g5/page/275/mode/2up |via=Archive.org}} {{refend}}
==Further reading== {{refbegin}} * {{cite book |last=Engeman |first=Richard H. |section=Pendleton Woolen Mills |title=The Oregon Companion: An Historical Gazetteer of the Useful, the Curious, and the Arcane |publisher=Timber Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-88192-899-0 |section-url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Oregon_Companion/FaKH2AV08rAC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA297 |via=Google Books}} * {{cite book |last1=Kapoun |first1=Robert W. |last2=Lohrmann |first2=Charles J. |year=2005 |chapter=Pendleton Woolen Mills |title=Language of the Robe: American Indian Trade Blankets |publisher=Gibbs Smith |isbn=1-4236-0016-9 |chapter-url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Language_of_the_Robe/rU8bY4lDMrQC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA121 |via=Google Books}} {{refend}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} * {{Official website|https://www.pendleton-usa.com/}} * [http://www.pendleton.ca/ Official Pendleton Canada website]
{{Authority control}}
Category:1909 establishments in Oregon Category:American companies established in 1909 Category:Clothing brands Category:Clothing companies established in 1909 Category:Clothing companies of the United States Category:Clothing manufacturers Category:Manufacturing companies based in Portland, Oregon Category:Manufacturing companies established in 1909 Category:Pendleton, Oregon Category:Privately held companies based in Oregon Category:Textile mills in the United States Category:Washougal, Washington Category:Woollen mills Category:Knitwear manufacturers