signed; titled & dated verso
Provenance: Loch Gallery, Winnipeg (label verso)
“It will always go onward” were the words used by Charles Eagle to describe his ranchland near William’s Lake, BC. The ranch was established during the Cariboo Gold Rush, situated next to the first gold miner’s trail. In the early days, miners often sought refuge there during the coldest winter days.
The ranch was purchased and transformed in 1920 by Charles George Cowan and his wife Vivien, who was a strong patron of the arts. Vivian studied at the Banff School of Fine Arts, developing a long-term family friendship with A.Y. Jackson. Jackson stayed at the Cowan’s Onward Ranch during many summers, often for weeks at a time. The ranch became a place of significance in the arts community. It was a regular haunt for artists, musicians and creative people, and during one of Jackson’s trips, saw the inauguration of the Cariboo Arts Society.
