We took the tour of the Faribault Woolen Mill today. We learned a ton of interesting things about milling wool as well as the fact that Faribault Mills is the only fully vertical woolen mill in the United States. They have been operating at this location for over 150 years, founded in 1865! The mill is entirely mechanical, almost nothing digital. There are 22 steps that the wool goes from the 800 lb bales to a final product. All happening right there in this one mill.

The mill wasn’t running when we toured so we were able to wander a tiny bit more, and touch the wool at various stages. I would love to go back and do the tour when the mill is in full swing to see everything operating.

Interior of Faribault Woolen Mill showing a long carding machine on the left, rolling carts with blue yarn spools, and a banner reading Faribault Woolen Mill Co. 1865. _Faribault Woolen Mill banner celebrating 150 years._ Large industrial carding machine surrounded by mounds of black-and-white blended wool fiber on a factory floor. _One of the Carding machines taking the wool directly from the bales and aligning all of the strands into something that can be yarned._ Weathered gray shelving unit with dozens of cubby compartments crammed with old gears, rollers, bearings, and assorted metal machine parts. _Many of the machines were manufactured 100 years ago and are no longer made so there are parts stored in various places for repairs._ Davis and Furber carding machine showing a large green iron wheel with cast hand wheels and metal rollers arranged in an arc above it _A step in the Carding machine._ Large industrial carding machine with multiple rollers covered in tan wool fibers, chain drives visible on the left, inside a textile mill. _You can see the strands of wool on the Carding machine._ Industrial wool carding machine with multiple spiked rollers covered in gray fiber inside a large textile mill. _The same pins and needles section of the Carding machine free of wool._ Industrial yarn winding machine with large black wool spools on top feeding thread down into circular bobbin holders below, inside a textile mill. _Yarning machine that is taking single yarns and making double or triples._ Industrial warping machine with hundreds of fine white yarn strands stretched across a large textile mill floor, with a Spartan Dyers box visible in the background. _This giant Warper machine takes a hundred or more spools of yarn and turns it into woolen fabric. It takes up to 2 days just to spool the yarns correctly._ Industrial weaving room with rows of green Dornier looms and large sheets of yellow warp threads stretching from machines to overhead beams. _Another Warper machine that can do significantly more complicated patterns._ Industrial loom weaving gray wool fabric with green warp threads visible, inside a large textile mill. _Multiple yarns of wool coming together._ Industrial weaving looms producing striped wool fabric in a large mill floor with green-painted steel machinery and fluorescent lighting. _Woolen blankets being assembled._ Perforated metal cylinders with grid patterns and handwritten labels stacked on a green metal cabinet in a wool mill workshop. _These are "programs" that the Warper machines can use to create different patterns. They are very similar to what a player piano would have used._ Antique industrial carding machine with numbered red and white buttons, chain drive wheel, and grid-lined paper output, in a workshop setting. _This is the "computer" that can create the "program" sheets for the Warper machine. There is nothing computer about it beyond the typewriter keys._ Cluttered industrial workbench with metal parts, a wall of small parts drawers, a yellow flammable storage cabinet, and a blue toolbox. _Workbench for the Warper programming and designing._ Large industrial loom weaving wool blanket fabric with bold blue red and yellow stripes inside a century-old mill workroom _Inspection station that all wool produced in the mill goes through. The light allows inspection to make sure there are no defects._ Four people wearing face masks pose for a selfie inside a wool mill surrounded by large bales of raw fleece. _Family selfie in front of multiple bales of wool._