Historic Sites of Manitoba: Ruttan’s Drug Store (2579 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg)

This two-storey wood frame building on Portage Avenue in the St. James area of Winnipeg was constructed in mid-1922 for pharmacist Henry Carman Ruttan. The main floor hosted Ruttan’s pharmacy and, in the back, a barber shop. The second floor was living space for Ruttan and his family.

Ruttan painted a mural on the building’s east wall featuring a tall man with the words “54 Miles West to the Next Drug Store. It’s a Long Tramp” to notify passing travellers that the next drug store was 54 miles to the west, in Portage la Prairie.

Ruttan lived and work at the site until around 1952 when he leased the property to pharmacist Jack Andrews who later moved to a new drug store at 3223 Portage Avenue. Ruttan returned to the site for the final decade of his life.

Ruttan’s Drug Store (October 2022) Source: Kerrin Asmundson Ruttan’s Drug Store (October 2022) Source: Kerrin Asmundson Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.87603, W97.26443 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Memorable Manitobans: Henry Carman Ruttan (1898-1973)

Memorable Manitobans: Jack William Andrews (1905-1976)

Sources:

“Sturgeon Creek,” Winnipeg Tribune, 12 August 1922, page 11.

“Herbalist’s mural is a city landmark,” The Senior Paper, April 2012.

“Aldine Street best-known for famous mural” by Fred Morris, Winnipeg Free Press, 5 October 2022.

This page was prepared by Kerrin Asmundson and Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 27 December 2025

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