Chicago’s Last Tannery

[Corky]

The Distance has a pretty fascinating read about Chicago's Horween Leather Company [wiki], the city's last tannery and "one of the world’s last remaining producers of shell cordovan, a durable leather derived from horse rumps" as well as a near-exclusive provider of leather for Chicago-based Wilson Sporting Goods Co., which, since 1941, has been the manufacturer of the NFL's official ball ("The Duke")

https://thedistance.com/horween/

 

[Peacoat]

Great article. Thanks for posting. Found it interesting that the NFL football (The Duke), is embossed cowhide and not pigskin.

I got "The Duke" back in 1969 for pick up games. It stayed with me through all my moves until 1978 when I took it to my girlfriend's house to toss it around a bit with a friend of mine from the pick up games in 1969. Unfortunately, I didn't take it back home. When we broke up in 1979, I got what few possessions I had at her house and didn't go back. Didn't get everything, as it turns out.

A few years later I was looking for The Duke. Couldn't find it. Then the image of it sitting on a shelf in one of her closets hit me. That was over 30 years ago, and I still miss my football, even if it isn't pigskin. PC.