An American Heritage Brand

Pendleton’s Jacquard blanket story goes back to the original trade blankets, which first rolled off the looms in a revitalized eastern Oregon town in 1909. The Pendleton blanket was a modern take on a staple of the trading posts and was immediately in demand across the west and southwest. The bright geometric patterns continue to inspire fans all around the world.

A Pendleton shirt begins life on family farms in Oregon and Washington that raise sheep for their fine, soft wool. Dyed, spun, and woven in the small town of Washougal, just a short distance from downtown Portland, the renowned Umatilla Wool fabric will end up as a treasured shirt passed along from one generation to the next. A Pendleton sweater begins as a simple garment, meant to keep the wearer warm.

Iconic design and high quality elevate our sweaters to a cherished place in our hearts and homes. Our sweaters bring new meaning to the idea of a classic. Pendleton Woolen Mills continues to enrich the lives of people around the world.

Relationships With Wool Growers | Pendleton has long-term connections with wool ranchers across the USA, with some providing wool to Pendleton for nearly a century. Not only is much of our wool grown here, it’s also milled in Pendleton’s Oregon and Washington factories.  

Sustainable
& Renewable

Resilient &
Wrinkle-Resistant

Naturally
Comfortable

Flame
Resistant

Lustrous &
Fade Resistant

Water & Stain
Repellent

Local Production | Pendleton blankets are made in two century-old mills in the Northwest. The jacquard-patterned fabrics and blankets are still woven in the original mill in Pendleton, Oregon. Located in the foothills of Oregon’s Blue Mountains, and home to the world-famous Pendleton Round-Up, this mill started weaving trade blankets in 1909. The mill in Washougal, Washington, which began weaving in 1912, is where you can see plaid and solid-colored fabrics woven. You will also see how the fibers are carded, spun, dyed, woven, washed, finished, and sewn into blankets. These mills have stood the test of time and are continually updated to meet or exceed all current standards of safety, productivity, and sustainability. 

The Natural Sustainability of Pendleton Wool  | Pendleton wool products are naturally sustainable due to the wonderful properties of wool itself. This unique fiber has the ability to insulate against moisture, cold, heat, and UV rays. Wool naturally resists odor and staining, so it can be laundered much less often than other fabrics.

Longevity  | Pendleton patterns are designed to be timeless since our woolen products are built to last. Wool is one of nature’s most durable fibers; it can resist tearing and can bend more than 20,000 times without breaking. This is more than four times the durability of any other natural fiber.

Comfort | Because of the natural breathability of the fiber, wool is comfortable in many conditions, from indoors to outdoors, from hot to cold, from wet to dry. The ability to absorb moisture, and not feel wet to the touch, makes wool a superior choice for comfort. Studies have shown that sleeping under wool blankets helps to regulate your temperature and can lead to better quality sleep. 

Safety | Wool is naturally fire-resistant. The fiber will not burn, melt, or produce toxic fumes, so it is a superior choice for all home products. Wool also absorbs and holds airborne toxins, so it can improve interior air quality. 

Care | Wool naturally resists odors and soiling. This means many more uses between cleanings. Wool blankets should be shaken out on a regular basis, and if possible aired out in sunlight once a year. Select Pendleton woolens can be machine washed and dried. All can be dry cleaned when needed. 

In addition, many other Pendleton Home products are certified for sustainability. See product labeling for specific certifications.

Oeko-Tex Made in Green

Oeko-Tex Standard 100

Global Organic Textile Standard

MBDC Cradle to Cradle Certified

Forest Stewardship Council Certification

Pendleton and the Parks | James J. Hill, founder of the Great Northern Railroad, commissioned Pendleton Woolen Mills to create a blanket for the lodges of Glacier National Park. The Glacier National Park blanket debuted in 1916 and has been in production ever since. That same year, the National Park Service was founded to help manage and maintain the parks for future generations. For more than a century, the National Park Service has overseen growth to more than 400 areas covering 84 million acres. Millions of visitors from around the world visit these areas of beauty and history each year. Pendleton blankets have been a part of the national park experience for nearly a century. Each blanket inspired by these unspoiled landscapes bears an intricately woven label reflecting vintage souvenir window stickers given to visitors who motored to parks in their brand new automobiles, often with a Pendleton robe tucked over their knees. Just like the national parks, Pendleton products are made to be passed from generation to generation, gathering memories along the way. The distinctive stripes of the Park Blankets have their roots in the practice of weaving short stripes on the edge of trade blankets to indicate their worth in beaver pelts. Colors and variations of the original striped theme have been adapted to reflect the distinguishing characteristics of each park and blanket in the collection. The colors of the blankets are inspired by the landscape of each park and by their distinctive features.

Projects | Through Pendleton’s National Parks Collection, Pendleton and our partners have raised over $100,000,000 to help with two preservation projects. Grand Canyon Train Depot Restoration The Grand Canyon Train Depot is a National Historic Landmark constructed in 1910, one of three remaining log railroad depots in America. It has served as one of the park’s “front doors” for over 100 years. The restoration project will ensure this iconic structure remains accessible and intact, preserving the history of the park. Many Glacier Hotel Helical Stairs Many Glacier, a beautiful Swiss-style lodge nestled in Glacier National Park, is often called the most photogenic of the great National Park Lodges. Pendleton’s contribution has supported the restoration of the historic lobby of the Many Glacier Hotel, including rebuilding the helical stairway.

Philanthropic Partnerships include the American Indian College Fund, Dig Deep, Native American Rehabilitation Association, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Center for Southwest Studies, Fisher House, The National Park Foundation, Oregon State Parks and the Wildland Firefighter Foundation.

Emma Robbins, Gather
Emma Robbins (Diné) is an artist, community organizer, and Executive Director of the Navajo Water Project, part of the human rights nonprofit DigDeep Water. She completed her BFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and studied Modern and Contemporary Latin American Art History in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is also an Aspen Institute Healthy Communities Fellow. Through her artwork, Robbins strives to raise awareness of Native issues through art that uses found materials gathered on her trips across the United States and abroad. 

Chelysa Owens-Cyr, American Indian College Fund – Unity
Chelysa Owens-Cyr (Fort Peck Assiniboine & Dakota Sioux/Pasqua First Nations Cree) is an artist from Montana’s Fort Peck Indian Reservation. As a College Fund scholar, she studies Business Administration at Fort Peck Community College. She is a self-taught contemporary ledger artist, beader, graphic designer, and painter, influenced by her family and culture. “I work with many mediums to share my personal teachings, beliefs, stories, and visions with the people.” 

Deshawna Anderson, American Indian College Fund – Courage to Bloom
Deshawna Anderson (White Mountain Apache/Crow) attends Little Big Horn College in Crow Agency, Montana, where she studies Business Administration. She is of the Butterfly Clan and is a child of the Greasy Mouth. As a visual learner, she became interested in art as a tool to educate the viewer on the perspective of its creator. Influenced by Apache and Crow culture from the Crazy Mountains to Salt River Canyon, she also draws inspiration from historic and contemporary burden baskets, beadwork, quillwork, and attire.

Tracie Jackson, American Indian College Fund  –  Nike N7 – 7 Generations
Tracie Jackson is a Diné artist and designer from Star Mountain in the Navajo Nation. She is a fourth-generation artisan. Her family encouraged her to study the traditional art forms of her tribe, and with their support, she became a painter, jeweler, beader, and graphic designer. She studied design at the University of Oregon and currently works in Portland, Oregon, designing for the Nike N7 program, her dream job since age 14. “I was taught to get an education and use it to help our Native community, which pushed me to become a designer for N7.” 

Preston Singletary, American Indian College Fund  –  Raven and the Box of Knowledge  
Preston Singletary is an internationally known glass artist who grew up in the Pacific Northwest. His great-grandparents were full-blooded Tlingit Indians. His works explore traditional images and legends of his Tlingit heritage, translated into glass. His artworks are included in museum collections from the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC to the Handelsbanken in Stockholm, Sweden. 

Ramona Sakiestewa, Legendary Collection – Cedar Canyon
Ramona Sakiestewa (Hopi) is an internationally renowned artist and designer who grew up in the American Southwest. Her portfolio includes fine art tapestries, works on paper, and architectural design. Her works reside in public, private, corporate and museum collections in the United States and abroad, with numerous awards including the New Mexico Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts. “As artists, we have to be prepared to reinvent ourselves many times.”

Susana Santos, Legendary Collection – Rodeo Sisters
Apolonia Susana Santos (1954-2006) was a painter, serigrapher, sculptor, writer and activist of Tygh and Yakama ancestry. Her use of rich colors, textures and natural materials created dynamic landscapes with a deep narrative that illuminates historic and contemporary Indigenous life and memory. Susana’s artistic prowess and fearless activism were inextricable. She brought a unique, authentic vision to everything she created. Through her writings, public speaking, theater-style marches and art shows, Susana encouraged Native youth and children to always “Remember Who You Are.”

Joe Toledo, Legendary Collection – In Their Element 
Joe Toledo is a native of Jemez Pueblo in New Mexico who currently lives in Tiffany, Colorado. He enjoys working in watercolor because it is “spontaneous and unpredictable.” Mr. Toledo mixes soft rainwater with his colors to reflect images from his Jemez Pueblo culture. His works are exhibited in collections in the United States, Canada and Europe. 

Jim Yellowhawk, Legendary Collection – Buffalo Nation
Jim Yellowhawk grew up on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota. He is an enrolled member of the Itazipco Band of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, with Onodoga/Iroquois heritage through his mother. He graduated from Marion College, Indiana, and also studied at Columbus, Ohio School of Art and Design. He divides his time between the Black Hills of South Dakota and Golden Bay, New Zealand. His work encompasses many different media, including dance. “Traditional spirituality is woven into my daily life, work, practices and way of being.” 

Harvey Pratt, Warriors’ Circle of Honor
Harvey Pratt (Cheyenne/Arapaho) is an Oklahoma artist who works in painting, sculpting, wood carving, bronze, and graphic design. He served with the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion in Vietnam. He has worked in law enforcement for fifty years and is one of the foremost forensic artists in America. He currently serves as the chairperson of the Interior Indian Arts and Crafts Board, and as a traditional Southern Cheyenne Peace Chief. For more information on his work, please visit harveypratt.com. 

Judd Thompson, Artist Collection –  A Horse Called Paint
Judd Thompson was born in 1983 and grew up surrounded by art in his family’s business, The Custer Battlefield Trading Post. After graduating from the University of Wyoming with a degree in Art & Art History, he moved to Billings, Montana, where he uses his passion for color theory to capture the essence of Crow Country in a variety of media, including painting and sculpture.

Logan Maxwell Hagege, Artist Collection –  Resting Place 
Logan Maxwell Hagege is a Los Angeles-based contemporary artist whose modern visions of the American West use signature clouds and repeating shapes to echo flora and figures in the foreground, creating a visual narrative for each composition. His use of natural light and color distills shapes to their essence while celebrating their complexity.