Gunpowder Gertie
It tells the local legend of Gunpowder Gertie — the so-called Pirate Queen of the Kootenays.
Her story was born as local fiction, but it feels strikingly real: denied work on steamboats simply because she was a woman, she reinvented herself as a pirate, taking to the rivers with fire and defiance.
Gertie is a myth, but she carries truths that still echo today. Around the world, women continue to be denied equal rights and opportunities. The barriers may look different now, but the fight for respect, work, and freedom remains.
Her story was born as local fiction, but it feels strikingly real: denied work on steamboats simply because she was a woman, she reinvented herself as a pirate, taking to the rivers with fire and defiance.
Gertie is a myth, but she carries truths that still echo today. Around the world, women continue to be denied equal rights and opportunities. The barriers may look different now, but the fight for respect, work, and freedom remains.
Curated by Nelson International Mural Festival, Nelson BC, Canada 2025
Photos By Wyatt Loser
