“Wool blankets were on the provisions list of every trip – for sleeping and trading with Native Americans along the way. In St. Joseph, the Buell Woolen Mill was the primary source for blankets headed west. Known for quality over quantity, the blankets were strikingly colorful and many designs were based on patterns used by different Native tribes in paintings and beadwork out west. They were prized by the pioneers and Native Americans alike.” - Greg Hatten
Producing the Blankets
Norman and George Buell settled in St. Joseph, Missouri in 1848 and started a mill on Blacksnake Creek.
That mill eventually grew into the Buell Woolen Mills which provided blankets for the
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Pullman Palace Car Company
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Large Steamships
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United States Government.
At its height, the Buell Mill employed 175 people and used a million pounds of wool annually.
George Buell
According to their 1910 catalogue:
“This Mill began operations in a small and very modest way. It was started as a custom mill – and from its beginning the Buell Woolen Mill has prided itself more on the ‘quality’ than on the quantity of its products. This is why the mill has grown steadily every year since its establishment and why it is today the largest and best-known mill in the West, turning out a product that is regarded as the Standard of Quality wherever blankets are sold.”
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Jacquard Loom
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Three Color Blankets
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Sheep
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Dyes
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Patterns
