Gable Road, Carr’s Landing

By Margaret Carruthers¹

First established in the 1950s, Gable Road begins at Carr’s Landing Road and ends at Gable Beach on Okanagan Lake. The road is named for the Gabel family, [but] as you can see the spelling is incorrect, the result of a slight pronunciation (or spelling) problem at the Regional District at the time of the naming.

Art and Lydia Gabel are probably best remembered in Okanagan Centre and the surrounding area as the local store owners. Carl Arthur (Art) Gabel was born in Port Treeve, Saskatchewan in 1914. Art’s parents were always on the move looking for a permanent home. As a result, Art received his education at seven different schools.

In 1932 the Gabel family finally settled on a farm. Life was hard and money scarce at the time, meaning the Gabels did not have the money to send Art to university. Art, being the resourceful person he was, managed through working odd jobs to scrape enough funds, enabling him to attend university and graduate with a teaching degree. Art taught school in Saskatchewan through the very difficult depression years. In 1939 he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force hoping to be a pilot, however poor eyesight restricted him from flying.

Gabel marriage — Art and Lydia Gabel, 1940²

In 1940, Art Gabel got married, and he and his wife Lydia moved to Rossland, British Columbia, where Art joined the Canadian Army. In order for him to do his military training, Art and Lydia had to move to Vernon, where they both felt the lure to return to the Okanagan. …[T]wo years later they sold out in Saskatchewan and moved to Okanagan Centre in 1948.

On arrival in Okanagan Centre, Art along with his partner John Motowylo, purchased the Okanagan Centre Red and White Store from J. A. Gleed. The general store also housed the Okanagan Centre post office, and Art became the postmaster. He later bought out his partner and he and Lydia expanded the store.