The New Woolen Mills of Kirkland
A state-of-the-art facility on Lake Washington begins turning local wool into blankets and flannels.
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The woolen mill erected by the Seattle Woolen Mills Company at Kirkland is now in successful operation, turning out blankets, flannels, and shawls. The mill occupies a wharf about 250 feet square on Lake Washington. The plant is equipped with modern machinery including two sets of cards, four mules, and thirty-one looms. Currently, the mill employs about forty persons, with plans to expand to seventy once all machinery is fully operational. Manager Thomas E. Eyanson notes that while labor costs are higher here than in the East, the quality of Washington wool and lower material costs make the enterprise promising for the local market.
“I have no doubt we shall find enough local demand to absorb all we can produce.”
The Kirkland wool mill represents the 1890s dream of industrial self-sufficiency on the Eastside. Today, that waterfront land—once home to a bustling textile plant—is part of a high-density urban core, reflecting the massive shift from manufacturing to tech and service industries.
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