Shirley Gratton was born in Salmon valley. She has been a resident of the Prince George Hart Highway area for 44 years and serves as a Prince George City Councillor.
Shirley has volunteered for over 30 years and has received many awards for her volunteer work including being named the Prince George Eagles Mother of the Year in 1972. In 1982, she received the B.C. Festival of Fine Arts Designer for Clothing Award, and in 1984, Shirley was given the City of Prince George Award of Merit in Recreation. In 1991, Shirley was awarded the Salmon River Farmers' Institute Lifetime Member Award, and in 1992, she received the Governor General of Canada medal. In 1994, Shirley was inducted into the B.C. Babe Ruth Baseball Hall of Fame. Shirley's interests are weaving, gardening, family history research, and her eight grandchildren.
Shirley was instrumental in the completion of A Saga of a Pioneer's Dream, which is an excellent literary account of the history of the Salmon Valley area and its early pioneers. Shirley collected, organized, and edited stories submitted from residents of Salmon Valley for 8 years before compiling them into a book. A Saga of a Pioneer's Dream is brimming with stories over more than 50 different families that settled in the Salmon Valley region in the early 1900s.
For her extensive contributions to the community of Prince George, and for her help in the creation of A Saga of a Pioneer's Dream, Shirley Gratton received the Jeanne Clarke Memorial Local History Award on February 22, 1998.