PENDLETON, Ore. – Long before the Europeans arrived on these shores there were blankets – blankets made from hides or pelts of smaller animals sewn together; blankets woven from wool, feathers, down or bark; blankets of wild cotton colored with native dyes. Today mention “Pendleton” to any Native American over the age of five, and the colorful, Native design Pendleton blankets, robes and shawls spring to mind.

Pendleton Woolen Mill’s bright woolen Native-designed blankets, prized for their quality and designs, had their beginnings in 1909 when the Bishop family rebuilt the original woolen mill in Pendleton, Ore., a major railhead town overlooking the grand Columbia River and Columbia Basalt Plateau, creating an enduring Native legacy. In honor of that anniversary, Pendleton is celebrating 100 years with “Weaving America’s Spirit Since 1909.”

Pendleton’s relationship with Native Americans goes back to “day one,” says Bob Christnacht, division manager for their home line. “Our original designer, Joe Rawnsley, lived with the Native Americans for six to nine months at a time. From his early design work we developed our most enduring designs.”

Wool blankets had great trade value with the Native peoples. Pendleton’s salesman, Major Davidson, who spoke an astonishing 27 Indian languages, worked with Rawnsley and traveled throughout Indian country, introducing his designs. Pendleton’s popularity took off and soon their blankets were in greater demand than the traditional striped and plaid Hudson’s Bay blankets.