“Baa, Baa Black Sheep, have you any wool? Yes Sir, yes Sir, three bags full “. The old nursery rhyme came to mind when we toured the Custom Woolen Mills. The smallest of wool batches are processed here along with large orders. Located near the community of Linden, Alberta, Custom Woolens was started by hobby weavers Fen and Bill quite by accident. Thirty years ago, Bill was teaching at a community college. One of his students, the daughter of a sheep farmer told Bill that her dad had 250 lbs of wool to sell and would he be interested? He said “yes”, and when he got home and told Fen, she was shocked. 250 lbs was a garage full of fleeces and all that wool had to be washed and their bathtub wasn’t up to the job, so they had to set out in search of who might take the job on.
They found a group of Hutterites near Magrath, Alberta who were willing. At the time, Magrath was home to a knitting mill owned by a guy named Purves-Smith. He had started in the wool business as a kid working on a bobbin machine in Galt, Ontario, once a woolen mill centre. At 72 years old and keen to get out of the business, Purves-Smith asked Fen and Bill if they might be interested in his mill’s machinery.
After some discussion and with the help of a bank loan, the hobby weavers bought the entire lot, including a 1908 knitting mule, the last one still operating in Canada. They spent the next three months learning to run it and then moved all the machinery to a Linden area pig farm where they stored it for several months while setting up their new home and the Custom Woolen Mills. Assorted yarns, finished woolens and wool comforters are sold in the mill’s wool shop. We bought a wool comforter here and it has become our best friend on cold winter nights.
Some of the staff taking a break at Kaleidoscope Wool Shoppe, Custom Woolen Mills, near Linden, Alberta, CanadaCustom Woolen Mills is on a beautiful piece of land off a gravel road near Linden. Fen and Bill’s home is also a transplant. Painted a bright brick red, it is the former Crossfield railway station.
Converted railway station at Custom Woolen Mills
When I was a little boy on a farm out near Leslieville Alta– that was in the 40’s, mother would send used cloths, blankets etc to Magrath Woolen Mills most falls before winter and get wonderful new items back. Mom is still alive @ 92 out at Mundare now. I remembered all that. Tough to make it go on the farm then. I was 10 then. I’m 73 now.I typed in Magrath Woolen Mills this morning and there you are . What a thrill. Diabetis took my beatiful wife June 16th this year. She had a lot of cloths so I wondered if maybe this venerable place and business still existed and if I sent her woolens if I could get back something to remember her by.Give me directions so I can come see you some time I ran the Coop Service Center at Linden for a while in the 70’s so I know about where you are. If you have a stories of Magrath Woolen Mills book on display for people to read and mues over you can use this bit in it if you like. Please talk back and bring me up to speed. If there is no diffinitive history about Magrath Woolen Mills– there should be don’t you think. It would sell some books –maybe. It could be a home typed thing to keep costs low and also make it homey for interested buyers. Love ya all. Talk back if you would be so kind. Goldie Read
Goldie, we were delighted to receive your comments. As far as we know, the Magrath Woolen Mills have long since disappeared, but we are making some enquiries in Magrath to see if we can dig up some local history buffs that may be able to give us some better information. Custom Woolen Mills (between Carstairs and Linden) is still going strong. We just got off the phone with them. Directions to their place can be found on their website at http://www.customwoolenmills.com/map.htm
The phone number is also on the website if you want to call them directly.
Thanks again Goldie. When we get some more information we will post it here.
John Moors was the man who operated the Magrath Wool Card and Spinning Mill and I am his grand daughter. I used to sleep with my cousins out in the woolen mill. Please direct this e mail to Goldie so that I can have a chat. I hope that he is doing well. Kathleen