Editor’s note

We love getting letters from our friends. Today’s is from Terry, who was an account manager for Pendleton for decades. Now retired, he’s living the good life in Montana. And that includes spending a lot of time in this gorgeous boat.

Here is Terry’s letter.

Hi Friends,

I was a Pendleton Salesman for 40 years. During that time I was always enamored with the Native American part of our company’s history, how in the late 1890s, Pendleton Woolen Mills started weaving those intricate patterns into blankets that became the impeccable standard for trade with Native Americans.

I met Greg Morley, who owns Morley Cedar Canoes at Swan Lake, Montana, in 1996 .  He crafted a canoe for me at that time, and I have become very close friends with the family since. Greg Morley worked at the Forest Service out of Salem, Oregon, in the late 60s. Before leaving to build canoes in Swan Lake, Greg was designated to source the Oregon Trail. It took him two years, but he tracked and documented it. He brings that same precision to boat building.

Steve, Greg’s son, has carried on the trade, and built this Herreshoff Design row boat for me. He invited me up to pick out each individual cedar strip for the boat. I brought one of my Pendleton blankets along, and he inlaid the pattern right into the boat. It is a banded Robe from 1920s. You can find the blanket in The Language of the Robe by Robert W. Kapoun on page 53.

Here is a moody shot of the boat on gorgeous Swan Lake, the Gateway to Glacier National Park.

All the best,

Terry

Credits

All photos by Terry Ball, used with permission.

See our inspiring blankets here: SHOP BLANKETS

And enjoy your weekend.