Discover Gabriola’s Historic Places and Stories on Gertie

Raking the hay on Horseshoe Road farm, Gabriola circa 1960.

Daniel Lunn Brown (on rake), grandchildren Danna Lynn Brown, Brian Edward Piper, and Leonard Daniel Piper (on horse)

“My father, Tim Brown, was born on Gabriola in 1923. In 1919 the Browns came from Scotland with their children, including Tim’s father, Daniel Lunn Brown. Today Tim has the honour of being the oldest living native Gabriolan. He still knows every inch of his farm, and shares tales of the long, rich history of his community. His involvement in the development of Gabriola spans the entire island, where he logged, built roads, delivered freight, milled lumber and maintained a functioning farm.”

Come hop aboard Gertie at the Museum to discover Gabriola’s historic places and stories.

Pioneer descendent Danna Lewis (Brown) believes story telling has an essential role in history. “The stories of the pioneers that I’ve listened to all my life bring history alive more than any chronology.

The stories reflect the emotions and relationships of people. I grew up in a culture of storytelling that doesn’t exist today. For example, Gossip Corner is one place in time that reflects Gabriola’s history of gathering together to share stories. ”

One of Gabriola’s stories that Danna enjoys is about an early pioneer, Mr Shaw. “When Mr Shaw donated the land for the east end school (beside the community hall) in the late 1800s, one of the gifting conditions was that if the school district ever wanted to sell that land, they would have to get the full agreement of three south end farmers. As he turned away, Mr Shaw is rumoured to have said ‘Do you know any farmers that agree on anything?’”