Gravel Gertie was a woman who lived in a gravel pit in a rural area outside Dick Tracy's city. She was depicted as extremely homely, with bulging eyes, crooked teeth, a wiry figure and a hairy upper lip. She also has two dark scars on her left forearm from an accident in a sawmill when she was young. She has long, silky hair and a beautiful singing voice. She is also skilled at playing the mandolin. Gertie has stated that her father died of a dope habit. It is not known what had become of Gertie's mother.