GIBSON

There are two possible sources of the town's name which are given in historic literature. The first says that it was named after Alfred Gibson who died during Ernest Giles' second attempt to cross the desert of the same name (Gibson) in 1876.

Gibson died after mistaking one range of hills for another further east. He was short of water and food and perished when he became lost. His body was never found.

The second source says that Gibson was named after Billy Gibson who found the soak while looking for lost stock. Originally called Gibson Soak, the townsite was gazetted in 1921. (We believe that this is the real origin of the name.)

It owes its development purely to the railway between Norseman and Esperance as it was a place where a reliable source of water (needed for steam engines) could be found.