A New Industry for Seattle
Local tannery entrepreneurs plan a wool-scouring plant to capitalize on the Pacific Northwest's 'finest water' and slash shipping costs.
The story, cleaned up
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Hibbard and Norton, who are now operating the tannery at Fremont, have a scheme on foot for the establishment of a wool-scouring mill adjoining the tannery, and C. P. Hibbard starts East in a few days to see about machinery. Speaking of the project, Mr. Hibbard said: 'At present all the wool shipped from this state East is shipped unwashed, just as it comes off the sheep. Wool in this condition averages about 70 percent dirt. Now, by having it cleaned here, we can save the difference between what it costs to ship the wool in here and the freight on this 70 percent of dirt to the East, which of itself is a good profit on the business. Then the water here is the finest in the world for scouring wool, because it is absolutely free from alkali.'
“The water here is the finest in the world for scouring wool, because it is absolutely free from alkali.”
This 1892 industrial project highlights Seattle's historical role as a natural resource processing hub. Today, Fremont is known for tech and creative industries rather than tannery-based wool scouring, reflecting the city's radical shift from extractive manufacturing to a high-tech knowledge economy.
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