Street of the Week: Gertie Johnson Road
Location: East off Rolling Bay business district
History: Gertrude Johnson was accustomed to
being first. She lived in the first beach house off Logg Road; she
helped create the area’s first park; she was Bainbridge Island’s
first women legislator.
Outside her accomplishments at the capital, Johnson may be best
known for her ties to Fay Bainbridge.
In the wake of the Great Depression, the state was looking for land. Johnson heard the property of a longtime Island family, the Fays, was up for sale. On a hunch it would be a perfect spot for a new park, Johnson picked up the phone.
The state couldn’t afford the $15,000 asking price, she explained. That’s fine, the Fays replied. You can have it for $5,000, just name it after the family. And Johnson did just that.
Source: “A History of Bainbridge Island,” Katy Warner, 1968
