Portland Woolen Mills
St. Johns
US 30 Bypass
Google Earth
Posted by Mark Kelly to Forgotten Oregon on April 20, 2022https://www.facebook.com/groups/ForgottenOregon/posts/3198208397113743
Forgotten Oregon
Richard Thompson, April 21, 2022
Wonderful picture but probably dating from much later than 1904.
Mark Kelly, April 21, 2022
Portland woolen mills in Sellwood burned down in 1901. And they built new mills in St John's 1904.
Mike Williams, April 21, 2022
True. This is in St Johns about 1915. Look at the cars. Certainly not 1904.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ForgottenOregon/posts/3198208397113743 (Accessed: May 5, 2022)
The Oregonian. February 19, 1904. Public Domain.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portland_Woolen_Mills_Sellwood.jpeg
The Oregonian. Public Domain.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portland_Woolen_Mills_drawing.PNG
Wikipedia: Portland Woolen Mills
The Portland Woolen Mills were a wool textile manufacturer in the St. Johns neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. By 1950, they had become the largest wool manufacturer west of Cleveland, Ohio. The origins of the factory started in Sellwood in 1901 but after a fire destroyed the mill two years later owners decided to rebuild in St. Johns. Portland Woolen Mills offered several worker programs including baseball, basketball and bowling teams; a cafeteria and a library.
Labor disputes started during the 1934 textile workers strike when Portland Woolen Mills employees walked-off the job for two days. Two years later works held a strike and were granted representation by the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) labor union. The factory filled contracts for the United States Federal Government during much of its history, primarily making blankets for the armed forces. For their work in producing blankets during World War II, the Portland Woolen Mills won an Army-Navy "E" Award. The factory closed in 1960 after almost 59 years of service.
See Also: Pendleton Woolen Mills
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_Woolen_Mills (Accessed: May 5, 2022)
Posted at Vintage Portland: Portland Woolen Mills – Mystery Locationhttps://vintageportland.wordpress.com/2010/03/31/portland-woolen-mills-mystery-location
Vintage Portland: Portland Woolen Mills – Mystery Location
Comment by Chad, March 31, 2010
St Johns, just north of the bridge. The facade was ‘modernized’ probably in the 60s when it served as a toy warehouse until the 80s. In the 90s it was home to Columbia Sportswear. Today, with a fresh coat of paint, and presumably some mechanical upgrades, it now serves as Cathedral Park Place: an artist studio and small warehouse hive.
Comment by Scott, April 1, 2010
Chad is correct. The sawtooth building in the foreground was the Columbia Sportswear location. My grandfather worked for Portland Woolen Mills from the mid 1920’s through the early 60’s. Jordan Schnitzer’s had a toy distribution company that worked out the old Woolen Mills building in the late 70’s-early 80’s
https://vintageportland.wordpress.com/2010/03/31/portland-woolen-mills-mystery-location (Accessed: May 5, 2022)
