1884 Chinese Bull Gang

Mural #16

Mural #16 — 1884 Chinese Bull Gang32M X 3M (104’ X 10’)  Legion Street
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Artist: Ernest Marza
Painted in 1984.  Restored in 2001, 2003 and 2013 by Cim MacDonald.

Many Chinese people had been enticed to the west coast of Canada as labourers in the late 1800s. A number settled in Chemainus with the promise of steady work in the lumber industry.

In the mural, 23 men of the Chinese “Bull Gang” struggle to move a huge timber through the lumber yard to a sailing vessel. Planks laid in front of the wheels of the cart provided a smooth track.

The mural is based on a photograph from the Victoria Lumber & Manufacturing Co. Ltd. at the turn of the 20th century.