Woolrich has been synonymous with quality outdoor clothing for over 180 years. The company got its start in 1830 when John Rich, an immigrant from England, built his first woolen mill in Plum Run, Pennsylvania. Rich would visit the lumber camps that dotted the area and sell his woolen fabric, socks, coverlets, and yarn from a mule cart.
By 1845, he built a new mill a couple of miles up the road next to Chatham Run, which provided a steadier source of water. That building exists today as part of the group of buildings, homes, and community establishments that have become Woolrich, Pennsylvania.
Rich could certainly not have imagined that his little woolen mill (created not long after the Revolutionary War) would go on to experience the Civil War, the Great Depression, two world wars, and the end of the Cold War. It would witness the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in America, the amazing growth of American cities, and the telecommunications revolution.
Legend has it that Woolrich was the first company to use a zipper in men's trousers. The timeless Railroad Vest, introduced when the railroad was being built through Pennsylvania, is still a popular item. Another garment with roots back to the mid-1800's is the Buffalo Check Shirt that has kept many generations of outdoorsmen warm.
Technological developments, new production methods, and changing American lifestyles led to new products for all types of outdoor activities--all-wool bathing suits and wool golf knickers joined rugged coats for hunters and trappers. As America took to the roads in the early 1930's, Woolrich added automobile robes and steamer rugs for the more mobile society. Woolrich was contracted by the government to outfit Admiral Byrd's expedition to Antarctica in 1939, 1940, and 1941.
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