http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Stag_(clothing)
The White Stag company began as an offshoot of the Hirsch-Weis Manufacturing Company of Portland, Oregon, which made durable outdoor clothing and supplies worn by loggers, mill hands, and stockmen.[1] Hirsch-Weis itself was founded when brothers Max S. and Leopold B. Hirsch purchased the Willamette Tent and Awning Company, a manufacturer of sails for deepwater ships, from E. Henry Wemme in 1907.[1] The Hirsch brothers renamed the company for themselves and Harry Weis, Wemme’s secretary, whom the brothers retained as a partner with the new company.[1]
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For 38 years this sign in Portland advertised White Stag Sportswear. This seasonal photo shows“Rudolph’s” red nose.
In 1929, Harold S. Hirsch, Max’s 21-year old son, returned to Portland after graduating from Dartmouth College, where he had been a member of the school’s ski team.[1] He began making downhill skiing apparel, starting with a ski suit, which Hirsch-Weis began marketing in 1931 as White Stag, from the literal English translation of the parent company’s names weis and hirsch.[1][2]
Skiing, then in its infancy in the United States, was becoming popular in Oregon in the 1930s, and White Stag grew quickly, with the division expanding to include other types of casual sportswear.[2]
Read the story of this company, that became the brand white stag. Their sign, at the end of the Burnside Bride was iconic. Now the company is gone, and the sign has been repurposed. Love the memories!
