Pendleton Woolen Mills is an American textile manufacturing company headquartered in Portland, Oregon. Incorporated in 1909 in Pendleton, Oregon, the company is known for its woolen blankets and clothing.
History
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, 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. That business eventually failed and the plant stood idle until the Bishop family, spurred by Fannie Kay Bishop, purchased it.[5]
Martha Ann "Fannie" Kay was the daughter of