Successful Sportsman It’s Saturday afternoon and you’re going sledding You zip up your down jacket and head outside The icy air may be cold on your face But your body stays warm and toasty This is the power of down Outdoorsman Eddie Bauer created the first down jackets in North America The jackets were very lightweight and warm They were popular with mountain climbers skiers and hunters Bauer designed other cold-weather garments too He also made sporting goods Every item he sold was tested in rugged conditions Bauer’s products were made to handle extreme weather and wear Bauer’s commitment to quality made him famous Today there are more than 600 Eddie Bauer stores all over the world The company also sells goods through catalogs and online But Eddie Bauer’s story began in the forests of Washington State
Bauer Eddie There is at least one Eddie Bauer store in all 50 US states
2 Outdoorsy Upbringing Eddie Bauer was born on October 19 1899 in Orcas Island Washington His parents were Jacob and Marie Bauer Jacob and Marie were farmers Eddie had six brothers and sisters The Bauer family lived in a log cabin Eddie’s father hunted the island’s forests and fished its coasts He passed his love of the outdoors on to his son He taught Eddie everything he knew about hunting and fishing In 1904 the Bauers left their farm They moved to the town of Yarrow Point Washington Five years later at age ten Eddie got a job in nearby Seattle He worked as a caddie at Seattle Golf Club In 1913 Eddie’s parents separated Young Eddie moved to Seattle with his mother He was in eighth grade at the time He dropped out of school to focus on work He took a job at a sporting goods store called Piper Taft It was a job that would shape his entire future
Orcas Island is part of the San Juan chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean
