The Pull

The Pull. Sculpted by Veronica and Edwin Dam de Nogales (Barcelona, Spain) and. This sculpture is a tribute to towhorses and their significant role in the history of the Welland Canals. During the construction of the canals, both human and animal workers suffered injuries and casualties. , The sailing ships of the early canal era were pulled through the channel with their sails furled. In 1842, there were 150 teams of horses stabled at the west end of Lakeside Park, near the entrance to the canal. Teams of horses, mules, or oxen - driven by a towboy - would move along a towpath that ran beside the canal all along its length. Teams were exchanged at locations along the route., The canal passage between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario was a grueling experience for both humans and equine. The towpaths and canal banks were often covered in sticky mud, creating a treacherous and exhausting environment. The use of towhorses waned as sailing ships were replaced by steam and later diesel ships capable of transiting the canal under their own power., 'The Pull' captures a towhorse in mid-stride, its harness fastened, and its head leaning forward - a recognition of the contributions made by these working animals to the building and operations of the early canals. The artists themselves may have said it best. "'The Pull,' as conceived by the three of us, is both commemorative and contemporary at once. It has one foot in the past, and one in the future. Attaching the shafts to the earth symbolizes the pulling forth of history, of toil, of chosen direction and intent, and a heaving forward of memory into the present."