FILSON
In 1897, Filson opened C.C. Filson's Pioneer Alaska Clothing and Blanket Manufacturers, specializing in goods to outfit the stampeders to the Klondike Gold Rush. Stories of harrowing experiences in the Yukon were widely reported: thousands of fortune hunters were stampeding into Seattle trying to gather all the goods and gear that could be needed in the deep north, where living conditions were definitely extreme and the weather incredibly harsh. It was for these rugged conditions that Filson designed his goods. He owned his own mill and manufactured Mackinaw Wool clothing and blankets, knit goods, as well as selling boots, shoes, moccasins and sleeping bags specially designed for the frigid North. Filson kept in close contact with his customers, improving his goods to meet their specific needs. The stampeders depended on Filson. In that era, clothing wasn't a matter of choice, but of survival.
