In 1892, gold had been found at Dundas now South of Norseman and it was the beginning of the Goldrush Boom.  Gold was discovered at Norseman in 1894.  This brought about a huge demand for freight cartage from the port of Esperance to the Goldfields. The only transport to the Goldfields from Esperance was over dry and thirsty roads scarred  with the ruts of the horse and camel teams

One such team was the Gibson's family.  On the journey from Esperance, about 10 hours out, they camped the night.  Teamster's son William Gibson was sent to round up the horses early in the morning and came across a patch of rushes.  He found the soil around the rushes moist so he proceeded to dig down and found signs of water.  Rushing back to camp he excitedly began to tell his father and the other teamster's of his discovery.  At first, nobody in the camp would believe him.  Eventually they went to have a look, dug down and found sweet pure water.  And a little bit  of Western Australian History was made.  The place became known as "Gibson's Soak"

By  1896 the WA Government had taken over the site and had a well sunk at the site with a windmill and large steel overhead tanks erected and were charging fees for the water.  The charge for the water in those days being:

A drink for Horses - Sixpence (five cents)                                                                                               A drink for Camels - One shilling (ten cents)                                                                                    100 Gallons to take away - Ten shilling (one dollar)

The soak was heavily used by the Cobb & Co, horse & camel teams, coaches and mail coaches many of which used Gibson as a horse changing station.  By this time "Gibson's Soak" had become a small town with the opening of a way side inn where food and drink could be acquired by travellers.

1896 the name was changed to the Gibson Soak Hotel when proprietor Henry Jenkins brought the inn and was opened for business on Christmas day.  By the 1950's the soak's surface water had dried up and today only deep underground the water remains. 

Mr William Gibson died in 1918 aged of 45 years at Windham on Christmas day while contracting to build the Abattoirs - quite unaware that he was in any sense a Pioneer.

In 1992 local resident Wayne Brennand established a spring water bottling factory using the pure spring water for his product that William Gibson discovered so long ago.  He named the bottling factory after William Gibson hence the name Gibson Soak Water Co.

Even today, the small town site of Gibson (population 190) still depends on the water supply for their daily needs.  The water authority now controls the site where the water supply was first found.