Gertrude Imogene Stubbs
Gertrude Imogene Stubbs, better known as Gunpowder Gertie, is a fictional woman pirate associated with the Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada. Carolyn McTaggart's story, published by Discover Nelson, explicitly describes itself as fiction. Its dates and adventures belong to an invented character, not an established historical biography.[1]
The story
In McTaggart's version, Gertie learns to work with steam engines but is refused employment because she is a woman. She turns to piracy, takes a patrol boat and renames it Tyrant Queen. Her targets are the steamboats carrying valuable cargoes through the region. The story ends with her capture and a tale of hidden treasure.[1]
Later appearances
The Maritime Museum of British Columbia's archives catalogue a 1999 videotape entitled The Legend of Gunpowder Gertie: Pirate Queen of the Kootenays, together with a typed account, in the Mitchell and McTaggart fonds.[2]
A mural called The Story of Gunpowder Gertie, created by Gijs Vanhee in 2025, appears in Nelson's public art collection. Its imagery includes a steamship resting among the branches of a tree.[3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 McTaggart, Carolyn. Gunpowder Gertie: Pirate Queen of the Kootenays. Discover Nelson. Accessed 9 October 2026.
- ↑ Maritime Museum of British Columbia Archives. Mitchell & McTaggart Fonds, item 008.048.0001. Accessed 9 October 2026.
- ↑ Nelson & District Arts Council. The Story of Gunpowder Gertie. Accessed 9 October 2026.