by Bruce Devereaux, Good Samaritan Christenson Village
Good Samaritan Christenson Village recently hosted a showing of the Rangitang Collection. These 26 paintings illustrate the life of West Coast loggers living in float camps during the early part of the 20th century. The artist, Leonard George (Len) Whalen, was born in Vancouver, B.C in 1911, the son of William (Bill-Bill) Whalen and nephew of the four Whalen brothers who owned and operated the mills of Whalen Pulp & Paper Company.
Len worked for his father and brother-in-law Earl O’Malley, in the Nootka Sound area of BC during the late 1920s and early 1930s. These years spent logging, and as a deck hand on the company’s tugboats, provided both a livelihood and artistic inspiration for Whalen.
The result of this experience included the Rangitang Collection: 26 canvases depicting the daily life of the West Coast logger in the 1920s and 1930s. The subjects of the paintings are the men Whalen worked beside and the bunkhouse existence he shared with them. It was a life characterized by the hardships and dangers of a grueling industry, punctuated by brief visits to town – usually Vancouver – for a much-needed diversion.
In 1950, while working for the HiBaller Forestry Magazine, Len coined the term Rangitang to describe a logger’s behavior when visiting Vancouver and to be the title for his cartoons. The cartoons were used by the HiBaller until 1989 when Len passed away. They also appeared in Vancouver Sun under the name BC Rangitangs from 1960 until 1970, as well as many weekly newspapers on Vancouver Island and logging industry publications. The Rangitang cartoons were used in many advertisements by forestry equipment dealers and other industry related service providers.
The Rangitang Collection was a labor of love taking over 10 years to complete. Why so long? Len claimed that his schedule didn’t allow for his art to be a full-time effort. He said his day was structured around the weather; if it was sunny, he’d golf, and if it was raining, he would paint. He also had to fit in cartoon orders and illustrations for stories in other publications such as BC Outdoors.
The showing of the Rangitang Collection at Good Samaritan Christenson Village was viewed by virtually all residents and staff beginning with the opening. Len’s son Michael spoke about each painting and how it related to the daily life of the logger at camp, answering resident questions. The showing truly illustrated just how many had a connection with the BC forestry industry.
To view the collection, visit www.rangitangs.com
