produced woolen goods and blankets. It produced Indian style wool trade
blankets that found favor among Native Americans. By 1915 it also produced
a Hudson Bay style striped blanket in eight background colors with a 4" wide
black bar near each end, evocative of early fur trading days. These blankets
also had "points" sewn in one side, 3" long thick black marks that denoted a
blanket's size and weight as a basis for trade with the Indians.
Gift shops at hotels and lodges in national parks sold a variety of goods to guests
as gifts and mementoes of their visit. But Great Northern Railroad's founder,
James J. Hill, wanted something special for his Glacier Park lodges, so he asked
Pendleton to create a national park blanket for him to sell there.
James J. Hill, born September 16, 1838, died May 29, 1916
Pendleton thus created its first national park blanket,
the Glacier Park, in 1916 for Mr. Hill.