Mifflin Wistar Gibbs: Doing Some Great Thing

Born free in Philadelphia in 1823 and trained as a carpenter, Mifflin Wistar Gibbs volunteered on the Underground Railroad, and lectured with Frederick Douglass. Gibbs was a successful merchant in San Francisco during the California Gold Rush. Escaping discrimination, he migrated to Victoria, British Columbia where he served as a city council member and coal mine operator.