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Records, circa 1911-1990

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Paris Woolen Mills (Stayton, Or.)
Title
Records
Dates
circa 1911-1990 (inclusive)
1944-1980 (bulk)
Quantity
92 cubic feet, (81 record cartons, 28 flat boxes, 5 document cases, 2 oversize folders.)
Collection Number
Mss 6024
Summary
Records of a small woolen mill located in Stayton, Oregon, which operated from the late 19th to the late 20th centuries and produced primarily blankets and clothing fabrics. Most materials date from the 1950s through the 1970s and include extensive correspondence files, finanical records, and detailed production records.
Repository
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org
Access Restrictions

Personnel records contained in boxes 50, 79, 80, and 81, are restricted and can only be used under the following condition: individuals who are represented in the records, or their authorized representatives, may request copies of their own individual records. Physical access is limited to Research Library staff only. This restriction expires in 2080.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Funding for preparing this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
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Historical Note

Located on the North Santiam River near Stayton, Oregon, the Paris Woolen Mills were among the longest-running woolen mill operations in the state. Although marginally profitable throughout its existence, the mill did operate successfully at several periods, most notably during World Wars I and II. Ownership changed frequently, but there was a period of relative stability under the proprietorship of the Etzel family, from 1947 to 1982. Despite efforts to rejuvenate the business in the 1980s, the mill closed for good around 1989.

The Paris Woolen Mills had its origins in a carding operation built in the late 1860s by pioneer Drury S. Stayton, who founded the town of Stayton in 1872. In 1905 a group of citizens headed by Fred A. Carter and S. Philippi organized a new enterprise incorporated as the Stayton Woolen Mills Company. A mill building was completed at the end of that year. The mill continued operation with varying degrees of success and numerous changes in ownership. In 1913 the name was changed to the Wilbur Woolen Mills Company, the result of a purchase by J. P. Wilbur and others the previous year. Profits increased in the late 1910s, in part the result of World War I. New buildings were built after another change of ownership in 1919, when the name was changed to the Santiam Woolen Mills. Despite large orders from Montgomery Ward in the early1920s, the mill declined and was sold to a group of Portland investors in 1926 and was re-incorporated as the Western Woolen Mills.

In 1933 the mill was purchased by Robert D. Paris, who had been the superintendent of the Portland Woolen Mills. New equipment was purchased and the name was changed to the Paris Woolen Mills. The operation continued with moderate success until 1944, when it was purchased by John W. Powell and his son John E. Powell, who modernized much of the operation.

The most significant change came in August 1947, when John W. Etzel (1895-1980) and his family purchased the mill from the Powells. Etzel, who had worked for the mill as a wool buyer and sorter, was primarily a farmer who had little experience in wool manufacture. He relied on a series of superintendents to run the plant, most notably Claude Phillips in the 1950s and early 1960s. Phillips's wife, Eunice, who had started at the mill in 1937, was the company's financial officer and became a partner by the 1960s. In the 1960s and 1970s, the operations were run by John Etzel's son Elmer (b. 1920), who also operated a cattle ranch in the area. At this time the principal products of the mill's 24 looms were auto robes, pram robes, blankets, and cooler cloth for racehorses. The plant employed approximately 65 people at the height of its operation. Among its principal customers was the Jantzen company of Portland, the Curvon Corporation of New Jersey, and the Horner Woolen Mills. In addition, the Paris Woolen Mills supplied blankets to a number of government institutions such as prisons and universities.

John W. Etzel kept the company running despite increasing financial losses. He personally promoted the company's products, travelling extensively to maintain close contacts with suppliers and customers. As the mill suffered from the competition of inexpensive overseas goods, Etzel lobbied government officials for tariff protection. His vigorous efforts continued until 1967, when he suffered a stroke and had to reduce his management role.

With the mill's profits declining steadily in the1970s, the Etzel family sold the company in 1982 to Pettygrove Industries, headed by Don and Karen Lachman. The new owners hoped to revive the business through high-volume orders, but their efforts were largely unsuccessful. In 1988, an attempt was made to sell the operation to Harbin HiTec, a company based in Edmonton, Alberta, but backed by the Kanghua Chongming Corporation of China. There was no sale, however, and the mill was closed for good by 1990.

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Content Description

The records primarily document the Paris Woolen Mills operations in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, the period of John W. Etzel's active involvement. There are, however, scattered materials from the 1920s, the 1930s, and some documentation from the 1940s. A number of documentation gaps exist within the sequence of years, and it is likely that these materials were damaged or destroyed before accessioning.

Of special note is the series, Correspondence, which reflects John W. Etzel's day-to-day work in running the company. Much of the material involves orders from suppliers and customers and difficulties in manufacture and shipping. Correspondence with the Curvon Corporation, one of the mill's principal customers, is particularly extensive. A 1970-1971 exchange between Etzel and Curvon's head, John Banta, is revealing of the declining state of woolen manufacture in the U.S. Also of note is a letter of June 15, 1973, from Etzel to Banta regarding the difficulties of the business. A letter of Febuary 25, 1974, from Etzel to U.S. Senator Bob Packwood (filed under "1974—Personal") complains about U.S. export-import policies. A letter of 1973 from Westech Engineering concerns the the issue of waste water discharge from the plant. Other substantial files of correspondence are those for Crompton & Knowles, Horner Woolen Mills, J.C. Penny, Jantzen, Mongomery Ward, and Sears, Roebuck.

The extensive series of financial records documents the mill's complex network of suppliers and customers. Order records and invoices often contain detailed descriptions of the materials bought and sold. Order records also include some correspondence.

Of particular note within the Personnel Records is a series of employment applications revealing personal work histories and origins of the employees. These records are restricted as noted in the Restrictions on Access statement.

Production records document day-to-day operations of the plant, including reports from weave rooms and finishing rooms. Of special interest is a set of time books recording each worker's productivity. The large selection of equipment manuals and catalogs was sampled during processing, and only those directly related to Oregon firms or the operation of the Paris Woolen Mills were retained, along with a few samples of unusual printing. Also of interest among the Production Records are the pattern cards, which specified how each textile was to be woven. A file titled "Historical production information" in the subseries, General Production Records, provides an overview of the plant's production from 1955 to 1970.

Included with the production records are a small group of photographs of the plant interior, taken in the 1980s.

Throughout the collection, most fabric samples attached or enclosed with paper records were removed for separate storage. In place of the removed texile, a "Textile Removed" slip has been included, providing the file number of the textile. These removed textiles are housed in boxes 110-112.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Paris Woolen Mills Records, Mss 6024, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in the following series

  • Series A: Correspondence, 1938-1987
  • Series B: Financial Records, ca. 1928-1989
  • Series C: Personnel Records (restricted), ca. 1944-1983
  • Series D: Legal Records, 1944-1983
  • Series E: Production Records, 1911-1988

Custodial History

After the closure of the Paris Woolen Mills in the late 1980s, the records were transferred to the Mission Mill Museum in Salem, Oregon. The museum conducted some preliminary processing before donating the records to the Oregon Historical Society in 1998.

Acquisition Information

Gift of the Mission Mill Museum, Salem, Oregon, Jan. 20, 1988, Library Accession 23579.

Processing Note

In the course of processing, approximately 30 cubic feet of materials were removed from the collection. These included: out-of-scope equipment manuals; financial records of no evidential, historical, or research value; and materials of low value with irreversible mold damage.

Separated Materials

Fabric samples and other textiles have been removed due to the possibility of infestation. Although described in the finding aid, these materials are currently (August 2004) housed under controlled conditions. Requests for access to these textiles will be reviewed by the library staff.

Rubber stamps and printing plates have been transferred to the Artifacts Collection of the Oregon Historical Society.

Bibliography

Lomax, Alfred L. Later woolen mills in Oregon. Portland: Binfords & Mort, Publishers, 1974.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Textile industry--Oregon--History
  • Woolen and worsted machinery --History
  • Woolen and worsted manufacture--Oregon--History
  • Woolen and worsted spinning--Oregon--History
  • Woolen and worsted weaving --Oregon--History

Personal Names

  • Phillips, Claude
  • Powell, John E.
  • Powell, John W.

Corporate Names

  • Paris Woolen Mills (Stayton, Or.) (creator)
  • Curvon Corporation
  • Horner Wooolen Mills
  • J.C. Penney Co.
  • Jantzen, Inc.
  • Montgomery Ward
  • Sears, Roebuck and Company

Family Names

  • Wetzel family

Geographical Names

  • Oregon--History--1859-
  • Stayton (Or.)--History

Form or Genre Terms

  • Correspondence
  • Financial records
  • Ledgers (account books)
  • Operating manuals
  • Personnel records
  • Photographs
  • Trade catalogs

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Etzel, Elmer--Archives (creator)
    • Etzel, John W.--Archives (creator)
    • Phillips, Eunice--Archives (creator)

Finding aid prepared by Geoffrey Wexler
2004

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