-a 4
RataraaT, December S. 1953
THE CAPITAL JOUHXAL, 8aka. Ortft
Pag II
90S U
ee'theiew
MODEL 33 CHAIN SAW
ic 2.1 Adual Horsepower
20-Ibs. Actual Weight Hodeb AviiUbltV
12-iacll Blaaa - laUavh
Tovne Equipment Co.
Kay Woolen Mill Founded
By Thomas Kay in 1 890;
Always Family Enterprise
HI
WWWWTWT PVuA 4-1(41 111
u . f.Muii. i -r-TMiin i
PHOKE 34783 - JTt4 j
u in r , I, H , m nn
Original lasaalraaal $70,000; Manser lajawry Ha Siexa
Got WWi tho Capital City; New Offer a Wia SaUc
tie la Practical ChrieraMt Gift.
By ft. UNNETB IVANS
la keeping with the nation ley people showed their eon-
Kitd... Bs!! Blocb Firepl.ce Ytttdzh
Wiix ProcS:;, Compound! Excebife Mc.:rds!i Dsr
(er.p!:!a lt!h!s,& Plastering i Spacesssttf Desr
Sesslies Ba-tox Fc!sa Door
Pumilite Block & SuddIv Co.
UfO Dalta M. Km 1-
CAPITAL DRUG STORE
PRESCRIPTIONS
405 State Corner of Liberty
WE GIVE tff GREEN STAMPS
TANKS
GASOLINE - OIL - WATER - STORAGE
SEPTIC TANKS
VV. W. Rosebrauah Co.
M0 1 17th Metal Products That Utt Since 1912
Phone 3-7609
This Year Buy Useful
WOOLEN GIFTS
DIRECT FROM THE MILL
KAY WOOLEN MILL STORE
260 SOUTH 12th ST.
CUSTOM LAUNDERED SHIRTS
LOOK BETTER J FEEL BETTER FIT BETTER
Home of Sanitone Dry Cleaning
Rawlins on's
Pick-up and
Only ZajCta. frtXrf&lJJiZZTl Delirtry
1264 Broadway l.ysr,rr,,Ssi 4tVf7n7Tm Fhona 3-3165
A Complete Line of
PIPE & PLUMBING SUPPLIES
Bathroom Fixtures Appliance Hardware - Mill Supplie
Saffron Supply Co.
325 N. Commercial Phona 2-4189, If no onw., dial 3-6478 or 2-4914
al trend and economy. this
U a year when the general
public will adopt the pUa of
giving practical ChrUtma
lifts. Tht if aa it ehould be.
i in keeping with national and
local readjustment and
thinking Americans realize
that It is a necessity. The re
tail store of the Thomas Kay
Woolen Hill. 260 South 12th
street, has a wide selection
from which to choose practi
cal lift that are of the high
est quality and econemlcaL
Residents of Salem and the
Willamette valley can thank
the ability, ingenuity and far
sightedness of Thomas Kay,
who In 1(89, established the
Tho. K. Woolen Mill in Sa
lem
"The industrial history of
Salem is traditionally associ
ated with the establishment
and operation of woolen mills.
first by the pioneer promoter,
Joseph Watt, and later by
Thomas Kay, the foremost of
the English technicians who
came to Oregon in pioneer
times Is a quotation from an
article written by Alfred L.
Lomax and published last
June in the Oregon Historical
Quarterly.
"After t h a Willamette
Woolen Manufacturing com'
pany plant burned. May 3,
1876, the intervening years
were sterile so far as the
woolen mill industry was eon
eerned until the Thomas Kay
Woolen Mill comnany was
established in 188 "
Plans Made for a Mill ta 1(18
Efforts were made during
those Intervening years to en
courage and finance a woolen
mill in Salem. Thomas Kay,
who had operated a woolen
mill at Brownsville and had
disposed of his interests, met
with a group of Salem busi
ness men December 18, 1888,
to discuss the project of estab
lishing a mill in Salem. Kay
bad investigated the opportun
ities for establishing a woolen
mill in Albany, Pendleton.
Eugene and other Oregon cit
ies, but finally decided on Sa
lem. From this meeting in
December, 1888, plsns were
completed for the establish
ment of a four-set mill to ev-
3SSTI entiially employ 400 workers.
The old tannery and oil
mill property including a
power site owned by Gray
brothers, was purchssed by
Thomas Kay for glS.OOn and
a total Investment of $33,000
was made in the completed
mill, which had a capacity
for employing SO people and
eoniuming 200,000 pound of
grease wool annually. The
moving spirit In Salem raised
a bonus of $20,000 to aid In
the project The mill when
completed was 136 by S3 feet,
three stories and an attic
with a dye house, two wool
house and the office. Oppe-a-tion
were started March 33,
1890.
The Tho. K. Woolen Mill
tidence tn Thomas Kay, and
nibscription were raised im
mediately and construction
work for rebuilding the wool
en mill was started hardly
before the (tone of the old
structure had cooled. This
wa don in spite of hard-
times and other economic
problem facing the resident
of the growing Oregon coun
try. A three story building of
brick and (ton construction,
facing 12th street, 88 by ISO
feet in alxa. w a completed
and the Tho. K. Woolen Mill
company wa again in busi
ness. Thomas Kay passed away
April 27. 1IO0. Thoma B.
Kay, a son of the founder, wa
elected president of the com
pany. Under his direction the
mills were operated profit
ably meeting all "up and
downs" until hi death in
1831. In the meantime ha had
served ai itate treasurer from
January 4. 1911 to January .
1919.
Following the death of his
father, Ercel W. Kay was
elected by the stockholder aa
president. He had been assistant-manager
under hi
father's regime. H 1 presi
dent and general manager of
the Tho. Kay Woolen Mill
today. j
Marjoria Kay Huntington Is
vie president Thoma Kay,
son of Ercel W. Kay, is assist-:
ant manager and the fourth!
generation of Kays to be ident-1
itied with this Salem woolen
mill industry. K. H. Pickens is
secretary-treasurer. He ha
lerved in that position since
1928. filling the office left vac
ant by the death of E. J. Swaf-
ford. secretary. This year is
his 38th anniversary with the
mill.
Today, the Thos. Kay Wool
en Mill hi one of Salem' most
important industries. The mill
proper has been expanded, new
and modern machinery added
and It ha grown and prog
ressed along with the capital
city. There are 85 worsen
employed and with the modern
machinery which is used, these
workers are able to produce
300 per cent mora finished
product than when the mill
was employing many more peo
ple. The mill superintendent
is John M. Reld, who ha been
with the firm 20 year.
A dependable market 1
maintained by this mill for ap
proximately 500,000 pounds of
grease wool, which comes from I
tho Willamette valley and east
ern Oregon wool growers. It
is significant that this Is a
self-contained industry. Every
phase of the operation, from re
ceiving the grease wool, sort
ing, scouring, carding and 1
weaving Into woolen fabrics, is
done In the plant here. Ladles' I
coatings, shirting, flannels,
sportswear, woolen cloth, light!
wool cloth for mackinaws, plain
or plaids, blsnkets and auto
mobile robes are manufactured I
from virgin wool for the mar-j
17. T. Rigdon Ce. Funeral Directors
One family serving Salem and surrounding
community for 62 years. v
299 N. Cottage Phone 3-3173
Across the Street or Across the Nation
Capital City Transfer Co.
Phone 2-2436
230 S. Front
THE ELEGANT NEW '54
DODGE
mom to n - hou iii ii - ma of n
Stan Baker Motors
525 CHEMEKETA
i
PHONI 2-2468
rPi Ktifi Shest rAetal I
I L1M1M Contractors 1
! FOR COMFORT lOftC B
s I AND HEALTH tV09 ft
I ii RFPr D J...... H
III L II I a" "oaaa urwuuwuj n
I llx Salem Heating & Sheet fAwlaKo.
k - . . ' - 1 111 ..' .1
SERVING SALEM AND
WILLAMETTE VALLEY SINCE 1910
Grabenhorsf Bros., Realtors
114 J. UWti - ImI bhfc, Iniaeu bratmeb. Frtcartr Htww.n(, haram, Inn Mmm 2-2471
lexpenencea tne same irouDie ktU x plvroll of some 8180.-
mai are m dt -it rnwinS . ouo .nu.iiv u maintained.
industry but weathered them
with the cooperation of Salem
financial institutions and In
dividuals. The grestest catast
rophe, however, h a p p e n ed
when the mill was totally des
troyed by fire the morning of
November 18, 1895.
Salem and Willamette val-
The retail (tore 1 under the
management of W. E. Pero,
who has been employed by the
Thos. Kay Woolen Mill com
pany for 20 years. "We sure
can offer some fine and prac
tical Christmas gifts to people
in Salem and the valley at eco
nomical' prices," he ststed.
MAKE DAVIDSON'S YOUR AUTO CENTER
aMHBfj . ii mm
ill JaP 1 Jri AAA 24-HOUR TOW SERVICE
DAVIDSON AUTO SERVICE
1
FMiHW iVi-tttMli I
530 Chemeketa
tfgBBMaanvaHtfSsaaa
Serving Sclam 33 Year
i.,. ,,, m-i .
Phona 34955
MAKE THIS A "USEFUL GIFT" CHRISTMAS
WITH GIFTS FROM KAY WOOLEN MILL STORE!!
. OPEN
ALL DAY
SATURDAYS
There I (till time to
nak thos wonderful
Christmas gift from
Kay wealea yardage.
8e ear large selee-Mea.
(; iftrtod v:m: wwj Cn rt. i ibbi
ins iww v ii i ii nvi wvn vvun u iuw ui iriM a i t) 7C
OUR CLOSE-OUT SALE ON MEN'S SUITS STILL IN PROGRESS! u l0W aS 533 75
260 South 12th St.
n
u
f:
h-
260 South 12th Sf.
THE STREET THE
TRAINS RUN ON"
KAY WOOLEN MILL STORE
195
"THE STREET THE
TRAINS RUN ON"
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