One of the walls of the Cariboo Mall bears a mural dedicated to Dan Lytton, who was one of the most prominent cowboys in the South Cariboo.
The mural contains two portraits of Lytton - one with his black cowboy hat, and another of him in a wheelchair next to his dog. In addition, the mural contains a beautiful painting of Lytton riding into a sunset near a lake. The mural was painted by Dwayne Davis, with some members of the Lytton family, particularly his kids Denver and Tel Lytton in 2012, the year of Dan's death.
Ruth Peterson, who is the former president of the 100 Mile Mural Society which commissioned the mural, said that the decision to create a mural of Lytton was done to "honour Dan's legacy." She knew Lytton personally, describing him as "hard working, kind and a true gentleman."
"He obviously made an impression on me personally. It may have been his sense of humour or his immense courage, but something about him made you feel honoured to have known him," Peterson explained. "He gave generously of his time to the community and his neighbours. It was rare to ever see Dan without a smile on his face."
Lytton was born in 1949 in Sheridan, Wyoming, located close to the border between the state and Montana in the United States, around 700 miles away from Canada. He spent most of his early years on the banks of the Powder River before moving to the Flathead Valley, located in Western Montana, where he fell in love with horses and riding.
He first came to Canada working many summers in Uncle Loy Finlay's ranch in Clinton, B.C. - where, according to his obituary, the "love of the Cariboo region and people there drew him." He ended up immigrating to Canada in 1969 after attending Bozeman Agriculture College in Montana, and became part of Dan and Charlie Baker's family in Loon Lake Ranch, where he trained with horses for years.
In 1975, he bought a ranch in Sheridan Lake, where he shared his love for rodeo with his four children. In 2000, tragedy struck when Lytton suffered a team roping accident in Princeton, B.C., leaving him a paraplegic. He did not give up, however. With the support of his family, he managed to still run cattle on the range and kept ranching.
The obituary describes him as someone who loved a cup of coffee, a conversation and defeating poker players with a Royal Flush.
"I think a line from Dan's obituary captures him best. It reads, 'He was a man known to many as the cowboy everyone wanted to be'," Peterson remarked. He was inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2005.
Lytton passed away from cancer in 2012, serving as a director of the Roe Lake and District Recreation Commission and the chair of the Interlakes BCRA rodeo at the time.
Peterson said that they had tried very hard with every mural, including the Lytton one, to tell a story through the depiction.
"It sounds like a simple process, but it is extremely difficult to capture the essence of someone's life with only a select few photos," wrote Peterson.
In addition, Peterson noted that she approached the family for inclusion within the design process, as well as permission.
"After securing a wall space, we would set to work with the artist to fine-tune the design. This could often take months of sifting through photos and laying out one idea after another until everyone involved was satisfied with the final decision. It was always crucial for us that the families were consulted, start to finish," Peterson explained.
Peterson said they only really worked directly with Linda Lytton to help create the mural, as she had been the liaison for the rest of the family.
"She was so thankful for our efforts. I'm certain Dan's family is proud of him and to see him remembered this way must be very profound," wrote Peterson.
The mural, in general, has really resonated with people, according to Peterson, because in her words, "it was someone local and people could relate to it more readily."
"I would hope that they would see what grit and determination Dan had. I'd want people to garner strength from him by understanding the many challenges he overcame. And through it all, Dan remained upbeat and optimistic. These are truly admirable traits," Peterson wrote.
