The origins of the “Long Tramp” mural

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/07/2016 (3681 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If you’ve travelled west on Portage Avenue past Moray Street, you’ve no doubt seen the painting of the man carrying a bindle  and the phrases “54 miles to Portage” and “It’s A Long Tramp”, painted on the side of a building at Portage and Aldine Street.

For most of us the vision just pops in and out of our brains as we focus on driving to our destination.

But one day it actually stayed in my brain, so I thought I’d do a little research on this neighbourhood icon that I must have driven past thousands of times since arriving in Winnipeg in 1976.

It turns out the tramp is the city’s oldest-known mural and dates back to 1936 or perhaps even 10 years earlier (depending on the source).

The mural was orginally painted on the side of what was then Carman Ruttan’s drugstore. The “54 miles” referred the distance  to the next drugstore, which was located in Portage la Prairie. At one point in Winnipeg’s history, visitors to Ruttan’s had  to take a streetcar to get out there.

For over 30 years, Ruttan, who was also an herbalist as well as a qualified pharmacist, mixed up all kinds of potions that smelled of organic drugs and herbs. His poison ivy pills were renowned and people came from all over the city to get them (they are now suspected to have been a form of antihistamine).

The mural has been changed a couple of times as the building has changed owners, and it is now less hobo looking but the 15-foot tall man is still a beacon to those travelling west.

So maybe the next time you pass by our neighbourhood legend, you’ll now know a bit more about him; I’d like to thank all the past, present and future owners for preserving this mural for our little piece of history in an ever-growing city.

To learn more, visit the excellent website themuralsofwinnipeg.com
 
Virginia Sperl is a community correspondent for Silver Heights.