The City of Canby formerly had horses and unpaved streets. Near City Hall there was a large concrete community watering trough for horses and other animals. This trough was apparently in place since about 1900, but when horseless carriages and new ordinances obsoleted the need for a community trough, Albert Gribble (the grandfather of the final owner of the Barn, D. Joe Gribble) wanted to save the trough. In about 1925 he moved it from Canby and deposited it on the north side of the then-spiffy, nearly-new Gribble Barn. It's still there, considerably encrusted with moss, but otherwise in good condition. I estimate it must weigh at least 1000 pounds. The information on this page compliments of Don Clauson, his older brother, and his sister, who all were children growing up on the Gribble Homestead property in the 1950s.

In the 1950s, the original 640 acre Gribble Homestead land was still largely intact. The original small homestead barn had been replaced in 1907 with the impressive Gribble barn that we began trying to save in 2003. Gribbles still lived on their land. In the 1950s, the main Gribble home was on the west side of the present Canby-Marquam highway, and somewhat north of the Barn. This house has long since been demolished and no trace of it can be found.

Don Clauson tells a barn story that is every child's delight, saying that it was one of his appointed farm chores to go out to the Barn to "throw rocks." Yes, rocks. And he was supposed to aim them in a destructive fashion.... Iva "Mimi" Gribble instructed him to knock down the dozens of cliff swallow nests polluting the eaves of the Barn. I guess this chore sounds like a lot more fun than cleaning the bathroom or washing dishes!

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