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Horace Lewis “Hie” Crandall Birth: 1892 Death: 1969 Horace Lewis “Hie” Crandall Considered by many to be among the most artistically talented of the early California decoy makers, “Hie” Crandall (born in Ashaway, Rhode Island in 1892) was a skilled taxidermist and accomplished artist at an early age. After moving to Benecia, California at the age of 25 Crandall gained employment as an engineer on the fairy boats running the Carquinez Straits area of the lower San Jouaquin River Delta/Suisun Bay Area. Crandall was the consummate “bayman”…fishing for strippers and hunting the Suisun marshes for waterfowl. It is believed Crandall began carving his own decoys shortly after moving to Benicia. Surviving relatives state that all of these early decoys were destroyed in a fire. In 1934 Crandall relocated to Westwood, California located in the north eastern part of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Working for the Red River Lumber Company supplied Crandall with the redwood used in his decoy masterpieces. This is the timeframe Crandall began his highest production, supplying his life-like decoys to sporting goods stores in San Francisco and Chester. In 1939 Hie was asked to display his decoys for the worlds faire held on Treasure Island in the San Francisco Bay. This additional exposure led to many orders for decoys that were put to use as “mantle art“. The additional appreciation for his decoys as art led to a transition to decorative carvings including miniatures, bookends and paperweights. Today, Hie’s miniature carvings are considered among the best in North America. Crandall’s final move was to Los Angeles, California in 1942. While in southern California Crandall was employed by Douglas Aircraft. While Hie’s career in the great outdoors (hunting and fishing) ceased when he moved to southern California, his production of decorative, full-sized decoys and miniatures continued. Crandall supplied both sporting goods stores with high-end decoys as well as art stores with his decorative carvings. In the 1950’s Hie received national critical acclaim for his miniature carvings in Chestertown Maryland. Crandall’s innate artistic ability and knowledge of waterfowl contributed to his ability to transform a utilitarian tool into a floating sculpture. Horace “Hie” Crandall is now recognized nationally among decoy collectors as one of a select few early decoy makers that achieved the pinnacle of their chosen art form.
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