When Hemp Was King...

When hemp was king, my great-grandfather was a farmer. And so was his brother. Together they worked for Towne Miller's Fairwater Hemp Company, which was in operation from April 1, 1916 to 1918. I never knew my great grandpa, but he's one figure in history that I'd love to have dinner with!

My grandmother pointed out her father, Frank Brown and his brother Uncle John in the photo below.

Here are my ancestors in 1918 posing with the team of over 26 hemp farmers & workers outside the mill in Fairwater, WI. Not only was this one of Fairwater's biggest employer it was also considered one of the nation's best hemp processing plants!

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Hemp was grown extensively in the area of Central Wisconsin, where I was born. I lived more than 20 years of my life there and never heard this amazing history. While in my youth I knew all about "ditch weed", the harsh, non-elightening, parent-frightening herb that grew voraciously wild, lining the sides many of the county backroads. In fact, there was even a hotline to call if you spotted anything growing and a team of officials would come and eradicate it. Sadly, I believe my own mother had called in a sighting or two. In her defense, hemp wasn't in her blood...Mr. Brown pictured above, was my dad's grandpa!

What I didn't realize is that these plants were in fact Hemp, a mere cousin of Marijuana. And these plants were among the last remaining remnants of a once flourishing hemp industry that put food on the table for poor Wisconsin farm families, like my own, for many years. While several of the farmhouses are still standing today, only a few of the over 7 factories within a 15 mile radius of tiny Brandon, WI remain. On my next trip home, I hope to visit some of those sites. This picture shows what remained of a local factory in 1970, when Jay Clarke of the Ripon Commonwealth Press published the article, "When Hemp Was King", almost 7 years to the day I was born.

My grandmother kept this article for years, and with it the secret of this history to herself...at least it was never really brought up. Until one day while chatting on the phone I mentioned my latest endeavor, a hemp pet products business called Hound Hempwear. I was creating high-quality custom made macrame hemp twine dog collars and leashes on a made to order basis. I was selling via a website and had a booth at the Olympia Farmers Market, in addition to traveling to various Hempfests when in season. I had gotten my products into several natural pet stores across the country and even begun working with Japan's largest online retailer. Little did I know, I was carrying on the family tradition! I couldn't believe my ears. And when my grandmother mailed off this 1970 Ripon Commonwealth article, I couldn't believe my eyes!


MY GREAT GRANDPA WAS A HEMP FARMER?
Was it a coincidence that I, too, was in the industry?
And here when I thought my conservative grandmother would think I was dealing drugs, she shrugged it off with a cool, "I remember when my dad..."

According to the article, from 1908 to 1924, hemp farming was one of the largest employers in the area. It had begun with a University of Wisconsin agriculture experiment involving the Waupun prison farm. At the time, much of the laborious harvesting of this tough plant was done by hand.

But Miller's Fairwater Hemp Company used harvester machines to eliminate some of the back breaking labor for the co-op of farmer/workers and earning it a reputation as one of the best, most productive hemp factories in the nation.
Sadly it burned in 1918 destroying much of the factory.

Much of the hemp grown in this area of Central Wisconsin was used to make fibers. However, cheaper supplies of European hemp, the Marijuana Tax Act, and the invention of synthetic fibers lead to the decline in hemp farming across the Midwest. For a brief time the industry flourished again, when during WWII, the supply of Manila rope and jute dwindled. At that time, the US government lead a wartime effort called "Hemp for Victory" - Click here to see the video.


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In 2005, I traveled home to Wisconsin to get married. In planning the wedding, I was sure to stick to my roots and outfitted the entire wedding party in hemp clothing. From the bridesmaid's simply stated but elegant black hemp sundresses and matching sandals to the groomsmen decked out in black hemp suits and matching natural colored hemp ties...it was ALL HEMP!

My gorgeous groom wore a three-piece version of the same suit.

And for me, a custom hemp-silk gown sewn and tailored to perfection by my dad's cousin Gail a seamstress, and none other than...a grand-daughter of Mr. Brown, the hemp farmer!



























While the clothes were picture perfect the event was nearly canceled a mere 3 days before the wedding, when the country club I'd been planning on having our ceremony and reception at informed us that they were double booked. Not only would we be sharing the spot with a golf tournament complete with multiple bands, but both the restaurant and bar would remain open! This was not the private affair we had meticulously planned for over a year. In the greatest, but most overwhelmingly stressful few days of my life, our friends and family pulled together to throw a 'backyard' wedding at the fabulous lake home we had rented for the week.

And at some point just before slipping into my beautiful hemp wedding gown, someone called me out of the room to point out a framed photo nestled amongst a collection of old books on the museum-like mansion's shelves. It was an original framed copy of this exact photo:


That's when I knew this was no mere coincidence.
I was meant to be the "great grand-daughter of hemp".

I am now the proud owner of a small Olympia, WA based company called BE THIS. Our website www.bethisnatural.com will soon be offering multiple lines of comfortable, durable, and eco-friendly hemp clothes and other natural home goods. We hope to have products available for sale locally in the Puget Sound area via home hemp parties, markets, stores, and festivals.

Please follow this blog and watch our website for updates.
Or feel free to contact us for more information.

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Be This

Olympia, WA
Phone: 360.705.HEMP

Email: bethis@bethisnatural.com