A mill in Eastern Oregon that has been weaving wool for more than a century is, quite literally, part of the fabric of the community. The town's name – Pendleton – is stitched into every product.
The company was started in the early 1900s by the Bishop brothers, who came to town to try their hand at the blanket business. Their blankets' patterns were designed to appeal to Pendleton's first customers: Native Americans. "The first recorded interaction in our homeland with Euro Americans was Lewis and Clark in 1805," said Bobbie Conner, director of the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, located on the Umatilla Indian Reservation just outside Pendleton. "We came to know a few other explorers who came in their wake. And then, the Hudson's Bay Company set up a trading post in our homeland in 1816. That's where our love of wool was born."
Those early companies exchanged what became known as "trade blankets." "If you've ever worn a wet leather jacket, you know the difference between the weight of that and the weight of a wool coat," said Connor. "Wool was durable."
But it was more than a functional fabric. Native Americans began using prized Pendleton blankets to mark special occasions – births, weddings, funerals. It's a tradition that continues to this day.
Pendleton CEO John Bishop, the fifth generation of his family to be involved in the textile industry, said Pendleton has survived because it has a brand that sells directly to consumers. "In the early '80s, there were roughly 25 mills in the U.S., and now there's three of us," he said. "All of those mills, you know, they sold to apparel manufacturers. And the apparel manufacturers, they're still in business because they moved offshore."
A blanket given to mark a graduation, a marriage, or a death is a way to tell story. Each one provides a thread to the past. For Bobbie Conner, they're a way to connect with family: "I have a Pendleton blanket for each of my uncles who's passed away that was given to me, either by the uncle during my lifetime, or given to me by his family when he passed away. It's the treasures of your life that represent the people who are important to you."
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