Hey, Camp Fans!
Just a few days ago we made a post on this blog about cool and interesting stories from companies with whom we do business. The other day’s blog post was about Kamik—the outdoor footwear and clothing place that got their start in 1932.
Today we’ll be taking a look at a company that got started over a hundred years earlier in 1830 by a man named John Rich who came to the United States from England and built his first woolen mill in Plum Run, Pennsylvania.
It’s funny to speak of Woolrich’s modest start—the company whose name has become globally synonymous with quality—but the company’s first sales came from men at the surrounding lumber camps. Rich would sell them socks, coverlets, and yarn from out of his mule cart.
Pretty humble beginnings.
But in the next fifteen years, he had built a new mill further down the road which still stands today in the little town of Woolrich, Pennsylvania which expanded the company’s products and sales. As people’s lifestyles changed along with the ever-changing world around them, Woolrich never failed to find new means of production and advancements in technology, keeping itself a healthy, thriving company.
Woolrich has witnessed a lot: the Civil War, the Industrial Revolution, The Great Depression, both World Wars, the Cold War, the Space Race, and the emergence of the Digital Age—all of which influenced the changes and growth of Woolrich.
From wool bathing suits to hunting coats to vehicle robes and steamer rugs, Woolrich has certainly expanded its trade. They were even contracted by the government in the late thirties to outfit a three-year, Antarctic expedition led by Admiral Byrd.
Along the way, Woolrich has come to perfect their recipe of wool, cotton, and manmade fibers with their excellent clothing and heavenly bedding! Everything Summer Camp is more than happy to be working with a company that has so much history; it’s great to offer blankets from the same company that blanketed soldiers in the Civil War.
That’s all for today, Camp Fans. Until next time. And, as always, thanks for reading!
- John