McMinnville Historic District street sign

A McMinnville street sign on 9/30/2014. Mac News photo.

Go, Grizz!

McMinnville High School Grizzlies display on 9/30/21 at McMinnville's Albertsons supermarket/Savon pharmacy. Mac News photos.

Remembering Norwest Fabrics, Inc., of McMinnville -- It made 'Mac Plaid' Blankets

Norwest Fabrics Inc. woolen textile mill was in McMinnville on Lafayette Avenue (six-acre industrial site) from about 1962-1970.

An article in the Sunday Oregonian, April 29, 1962, said in 1961 McMinnville Industrial Promotions, Inc., an outgrowth of the McMinnville Chamber of Commerce "succeeded in raising $100,000 locally to assure Northwest Fabrics, Inc., would locate its textile mill at McMinnville."

Sunday Oregonian Jan. 21, 1962, said the mill was successor to Portland Woolen Mills, which suspended operation in late 1960.

According to information from the U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit, the Norwest "venture did not succeed, and the corporation was dissolved on December 28, 1970."

"In 1961 Norwest Fabrics, Inc. purchased the five acres south of the (Yamhill County) Fairgrounds" in McMinnville, according to a history of the Yamhill County Fair posted at the Yamhill County, Ore., website. The history was written (circa 1968) by Louis H. Gross,  a 1939 Oregon State College graduate, while he served (1943-1973) as Yamhill County extension agent.

Norwest was the "only woolen mill in the West manufacturing cloth for the open market," said the McMinnville News-Register on Jan. 26, 1962.

“Mac Plaid” blankets were among items the mill produced.

A photo cutline in the October 28, 1963, Oregonian, shows a representative of the Auckland, New Zealand, Chamber of Commerce receiving a "Mac Plaid lap robe" from the McMinnville Chamber manager. The representative spent four days in McMinnville as part of a two-month U.S. tour as part of the U.S. Dept. of State "foreign leader program."

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A "Mac Plaid" blanket is mentioned in the story below as a "woolen car robe."

December 7, 1961 in The Daily Herald of Provo, Utah

Pittsburg to Face Linfield Eleven In Camellia Bowl

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (UPI) -- Whether Pittsburg, Kan. wins or loses the Camellia Bowl game here Saturday, Gov. John Anderson Jr. of Kansas will get a woolen car robe made in Oregon. Pittsburg takes on the Linfield team of McMinnville, Ore., in a game to decide the nation's small- college championship. Gov. Mark Hatfield sent the robe along with the Linfield team and enclosed a note to Gov. Anderson which said: "I'm confident the Wildcats will win the ball game and I would not wish a victory to be the condition upon which you would receive the pleasure of owning one of Oregon' fine products." The robe will be given to the President of Pittsburg College by the President of Linfield for delivery to Anderson. The gift was manufactured by Norwest Fabrics Inc., of McMinnville.

(On Saturday, Dec. 9, 1961, Pittsburg State College of Kansas defeated Linfield, 12-7. An Associated Press story in the Dec. 10, 1961, Eugene, Ore., Register-Guard, said the victory gave the Pitts State Gorillas national small college (NAIA) football title over Linfield's Wildcats. Each team went into the game with 10-0 win-loss records. "A crowd of 10,000 watched the first Camellia Bowl game in crisp clear weather" at 22,000 seat Hughes Stadium in Sacramento. Pitt State led 6-0 after three quarters of play.)

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Linfield grad Rogers Ishizu (a football star for the Linfield Wildcats in the 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1967 seasons) worked two summers at Norwest. His job was testing wool by putting hydrochloric acid mixture to take foreign objects out of fabric. He carefully measured the mixture. Ishizu said there were times after arriving home from work that there were acid-caused holes in his clothing. Not every night, but often, he would work a 12-hour shift. 

"I used to do 8-hour night shifts during the week and a 12-hour shift on Saturdays. My job title was ‘acid machine operator.’ As such, I ran the woolen material through hydrochloric acid mixed with water. This method was to remove all foreign materials from the wool. It was really enjoyable working there. My supervisor and co-workers were really nice!," Ishizu said in November 2015.

THANKS to Kathi Koch Costa for photo of a Norwest label on a Mac Plaid Blanket and to Elaine Rohse for allowing her Mac Plaid Blanket to be photographed in March 2010 with some of the photos (see one on this page) showing Elaine displaying the blanket.

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Photos below of a Mac Plaid Blanket which Mac News purchased on 11/12/2015 at an estate sale in McMinnville.

POSTSCRIPT: 

Norwest, incorrectly identified as “Northwest” Woolen Mills is mentioned in a McMinnville News-Register/N-R 6/3/2016 story about McMinnville Industrial Promotions (MIP) in the “Made in Yamhill County 2016” special section. The text reads:

“In 1961, for example, Northwest Woolen Mills built a 67,000-square-foot building with the help of MIP financing.

“After a few years, it closed. But the Lafayette Avenue facility has housed several other industries ever since.”

POSTSCRIPT:

In Centralia, Wash., Daily Chronicle of Sat., Oct. 13, 1962, edition, is coverage of Chehalis Industrial Commission, Inc., members visiting McMinnville, Ore., one day. 

Visitation goal was to "learn what has made McMinnville one of the top-rated cities in the nation for industrial growth during the past five years." 

Commission members traveled to and in McMinnville in a chartered bus used it to tour McMinnville's industrial area. In a photo taken during the trip, commission members are shown standing next to the Northwest (spelling is correct, it should be Norwest) Woolen Mills building in the industrial park. 

"The woolen mill, one of McMinnville's proudest recent acquisitions, is a reorganized and completely independent offspring of the Portland Woolen Co., which decided to go out of business in Portland. McMinnville plant was built through public subscription and local McMinnville capital."

POSTSCRIPTS:

--Obituary for Olga A Pupo Gomez (1931-2004) includes, "She worked for Norwest Woolen Mill in McMinnville until the plant closed in the mid-1960s..."

--From 1964, "Plant tours for international visitors to the United States:” … "89 Norwest Fabrics. By arrangement at office. 

--Albany, Ore., Democrat-Herald of Tue., January 23, 1962, includes (text below is an approximation of the UPI story):

New McMinnville Industry Lauded

McMINNVILLE (UPI) - Gov. Mark Hatfield praised McMinnville for attracting the Norwest Fabrics Inc. mill which will produce some one million measured feet of fabric before mid-February. 

"This city has become an Oregon pace-setter in industrial development," Hatfield said. 

Citizens of McMinnville raised more than $100,000 to purchase a share of the plant, and a community development corporation constructed the building for lease to Norwest. 

Hatfield also addressed members of the Pacific Northwest Hardware and Implement Association 

--Approximation of story in Oregon Statesman, Salem, Fri., April 7, 1961. McMinnville Construction, McMinnville Industrial Development Inc. purchased a 42-acre site and will build a 65,000-square-foot structure on Lafayette Avenue.  Pictures and blue prints have been exhibited and plans finalized for a Norwest Fabrics, Inc., woolen mill costing over a half million dollars and employing about 50 persons. 

POSTSCRIPT

Thomas Benjamin Kay born in New Jersey in 1864. Came to Oregon with this parents (Thomas Lister Kay and Ann Slingsby Kay  ... http://www.salemhistory.net/people/thomas_kay.htm ... and grew up in Brownsville (Linn Co.), Ore. , and was "brought up in the woolen mill business, his father being for many years manager of the factory at Brownsville." 

Mr. Kay attended McMinnville, Ore., College, etc etc. Eventually he "engaged in business in McMinnville." Then, in 1895, he went to work for Thomas Kay Woolen Mills in Salem until his father died in 1900. After his father's death, Mr. Kay became Thomas Kay Woolen Mills manager and president. 

Other sources say Thomas B. Kay was, in 1885-1895, in mercantile business in McMinnville and active in McMinnville civic affairs including serving on city council and school board and that in 1895 he married Cora Wallace in McMinnville and that in In 1884, Thomas B. Kay returned to McMinnville after studying at the Baptist college (Linfield College).

POSTSCRIPT

Don't confuse the Norwest Fabrics Inc. (sometimes incorrectly called "Northwest Fabrics" or "Northwest Woolen Mill") woolen mill in McMinnville with McMinnville Woolen Mills Co., McMinnville, Tenn., incorporated in Sept. 1902, to  operate as a plant of the Tennessee Woolen Mills. 

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POSTSCRIPT 

In the April 6, 1959, McMinnville N-R photo below appeared with cutline about Norwest Fabrics Manager Don Taylor (right) and Superintendent John Barrow talking over plans of machinery location in the new addition which was planned at the McMinnville operation. A 40 percent increase in production was expected after the addition was completed. (Source: Vintage News-Register Photographs in April 6, 2018, N-R.)

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"At Norwest Fabrics, when a portion of the roof blew off, two of its five carding machines were severely damaged by the heavy rain" from the Friday Oct. 12, 1962, Columbus Day Storm, said the McMinnville N-R.

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POSTSCRIPT  --

Storm Damage Estimate Passes $15 Million Mark (edited)

The toll of the dead, the injured and the homeless left in the wake of the worst storm to hit Yamhill county in history, continues to mount today as first official estimates begin to come in.

Jack Coleman, Yamhill county director for the American Red Cross, said today that the $15-million figure set by a representative from Red Cross national headquarters will undoubtedly prove to be a conservative figure.

Major industrial loss in Yamhill county from Friday’s storm, with exception of McMinnville’s new woolen mill, Norwest Fabrics, Inc., appeared to be limited to building damage, appraisal of the area indicated this week.

Robert Pickens, Norwest president, today said estimated loss at the Norwest plant run from $50,000 to $75,000 in addition to at least $5000 loss on the huge plant roof. The woolen operation is closed down, except for a 20-man cleanup crew, until sometime next week, Pickens said.

Two carding machines were seriously hurt by water damage when 212 square blew off the Norwest Fabrics roof Friday afternoon. It will take a month to get one of the plant’s five cards back into operation and at least two months on a second, Pickens added. The machines must torn down and repolished with felt, he explained. At least six looms will need to be turn down with new parts to replace rusted pieces, he said, and officials will not know until operation is resumed just how many electric motors were damaged.

Pickens said orders are on hold for heavy production and that strong efforts are being made to resume operation.

Source: Oct. 17, 1962, McMinnville News-Register

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Photo below from 1966 (1968) from Vintage N-R

 
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Photos below from 1965 Vintage N-R

 

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POSTSCRIPT 

A write-up in August 2022 newsletter of a McMinnville church said a parishioner, a McMinnville resident, worked “awhile” at the “Woolen Mill on Lafayette Avenue, making gloves, working with sulfuric acid, with no protection, which resulted in pleurisy.”

Here's to WOW Man of McMinnville

What used to be City Sanitary Service in McMinnville became WOW/Western Oregon Waste. Now it's Recology Western Oregon (ho hum). One of the distinguishing things about WOW, other than the name, was WOW Man, who came to the rescue in various garbage and recycling efforts. Don't know if WOW Man survived the name change. Unlike Superman, WOW man not affected by Kryptonite. But, perhaps he was killed off by a name change?! Mac News photos taken 9/16/2014 morning in parking lot of Jake's restaurant, McMinnville.