Bowen Island

History

Indigenous peoples

The name for Bowen Island is Nex̱wlélex̱wm in the Squamish language of the Squamish people. The Squamish peoples used and occupied the area around Howe Sound including Bowen Island. Areas such as Snug Cove and a few other parts of the island were used as campsites for hunting and gathering trips.

Historically they would use the warmer spring and summer months to travel to resource gathering sites and move from their permanent winter villages. Bowen Island has a traditional name in the Squamish language, Xwlíl’xhwm, translating to "Fast Drumming Ground", although some authors attribute the name to the sound made by the ocean as it passes through the tiny pass between the island's northern point and Finisterre Island. The tide rushing in and out is reminiscent of the sound of drums beating quickly. The name "Kwém̓shem" is used for Hood Point. Bowen is still used by people from Squamish and Musqueam for deer hunting.

Into the 20th century Bowen Island was actively used by Squamish people for deer and duck hunting, fishing and, later, wage jobs. In conversations with Vancouver archivist Major Matthews in the 1950s, August Jack Khatsahlano recalled knowing several Squamish who worked for whalers on the island at the turn of the 20th century. He also recalled deer hunting on Bowen, saying that at one time he took the biggest deer in British Columbia from the island, weighing in at 195 lbs.

Post-colonization

When Spanish explorers arrived on the west coast of Canada, they named many of the features of what is now the Strait of Georgia. Bowen Island was called Isla de Apodaca (after the Mexican town of Apodaca, in northeast Nuevo León state, which was itself named after a benevolent bishop, Salvador de Apodaca y Loreto) by the Spanish Captain José María Narváez in July, 1791. In 1860 Cpt. George Henry Richards renamed the island after Rear Admiral James Bowen, master of HMS Queen Charlotte. In 1871, homesteaders began to build houses and started a brickworks, which supplied bricks to the expanding city of Vancouver. Over the years, local industry has included an explosives factory, logging, mining, and milling, but there is no heavy industry on the island at present.

20th century

In the first half of the 20th century, life on Bowen was dominated by a resort operated by the Terminal Steamship Company (1900-1920) and the Union Steamship Company (1920 - 1962). These companies provided steamer service to Vancouver, and the Horseshoe Bay - Bowen Island Ferry began in 1921. When the Union Steamship resort closed in the 1960s the island returned to a quiet period of slow growth. In the 1940s and 1950s, the artists' colony called Lieben was a retreat for many famous Canadian authors, artists, and intellectuals including Earle Birney, Alice Munro, Dorothy Livesay, Margaret Laurence, A.J.M. Smith, Jack Shadbolt, Eric Nicol and Malcolm Lowry, who finished his last book, October Ferry to Gabriola, there. In the 1980s, real estate pressures in Vancouver accelerated growth on Bowen and currently the local economy is largely dependent on commuters who work on the mainland in Greater Vancouver. Prior to becoming a municipality, Bowen Island was part of the Sunshine Coast Regional District, made up of small communities and municipalities.

Commerce

Bowen Island is served by a number of small businesses including marinas, cafes, gift shops, grocery stores, a post office, pharmacy, restaurants, electric bike rentals, kayak rentals, garden and flower shops, and a building supply yard. Bowen Island is served by First Credit Union, and by an Exchange Network ATM operated by North Shore Credit Union. Bowen Island's commercial sector is primarily located within Snug Cove and Artisan Square. It is also served by a weekly newspaper, the Bowen Island Undercurrent.

Transportation

Marine

Bowen Island is served by three scheduled water-transportation operators:

• BC Ferries, offers a ferry service using the Queen of Capilano, which travels between Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver and Snug Cove on Bowen Island.
• Cormorant Marine runs a passenger-only water taxi service providing on-demand sailings between the government dock in Horseshoe Bay and Snug Cove.
• Prior to 2018, English Bay Launch ran a scheduled passenger-only water taxi service between Snug Cove and Vancouver's Coal Harbour. An additional service was provided on summer weekends between Snug Cove and Granville Island. Service was suspended due to the dock used on the Vancouver side being deemed unsafe by the Parks Board.

Land

Public roads are maintained by the Bowen Island Municipality. There are roadside walking trails in only a few places and the terrain is hilly and winding. Private vehicles are the primary form of transportation and hitchhiking is commonplace.

Bowen Island has limited bus service on these TransLink bus routes, which are timed to meet some ferry sailings:

• Route 280 Bluewater/Snug Cove
• Route 281 Eagle Cliff/Snug Cove
• Route 282 Mount Gardner/Snug Cove (weekends and holidays only)

Education

The island is in the West Vancouver School District and has one public elementary school named Bowen Island Community School. High school students living in Bowen Island (grades 8 to 12) travel to West Vancouver to attend West Vancouver Secondary School, Sentinel Secondary School, or Rockridge. There is also the Island Pacific School, an International Baccalaureate middle school for grades 6 through 9. Some students also travel to West Vancouver to attend French Immersion at École Pauline Johnson. There is a public-supported home learning program, The Learning Centre, and a growing number of families also unschool. Bowen Island houses a public library in the heritage Old General Store that is also part of British Columbia's InterLink co-operative of public libraries.

Places of worship

There are regular Buddhist meditation sittings in both the Zen and Vipassana traditions.

Bowen's Jewish community celebrates Shabbat and high holidays, and acquired a Torah in 2006.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Bowen Island had a population of 4,256 living in 1,724 of its 2,036 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 3,680. With a land area of 50.12 km2, it had a population density of in 2021.

Ethnicity

Religion

According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Bowen Island included:

• Irreligion (2,885 persons or 68.3%)
• Christianity (1,185 persons or 28.0%)
• Buddhism (65 persons or 1.5%)
• Judaism (60 persons or 1.4%)
• Other (20 persons or 0.5%)

Films and TV series shot entirely or partly on Bowen Island

• The Trap (1966)
• The Food of the Gods (1976)
• Clan of the Cave Bear (1986)
• People Across the Lake (1988)
• American Gothic (1988)
• Cousins (1989)
• Look Who's Talking (1989)
• Bird on a Wire (1990)
• The Russia House (1990)
• Another Stakeout (1993)
• Intersection (1994)
• Hideaway (1995)
• All the Winters That Have Been (1997)
• Disturbing Behavior (1998)
• Double Jeopardy (1999)
• Antitrust (2001)
• Rugged Rich and the Ona Ona (2004)
• The Fog (2005)
• Paper Moon Affair (2005)
• The Hitchhiker (2006)
• The Wicker Man (2006)
• Are We Still the Ugly American? (2008)
• River (2008)
• The Uninvited (2009)
• Harper's Island (2009)
• Virgin River (2019)

Notes

References

References

1. "British Columbia Regional Districts, Municipalities, Corporate Name, Date of Incorporation and Postal Address". British Columbia Ministry of Communities, Sport and Cultural Development.
2. "Council Members". Bowen Island Municipal Website.
3. "Municipal Council".
4. (September 2, 1999). "Letters Patent (Bowen Island Municipality Incorporation Document).pdf". Bowen Island Municipality.
6. Services, Ministry of Citizens'. "Population Estimates - Province of British Columbia".
7. "Islands Trust - Homepage".
8. Squamish Nation "Skwxwu7mesh Snichim-Xweliten Snichim Skexwts / Squamish-English Dictionary", Published 2011. {{ISBN. 0-295-99022-8
9. "A Short History of Bowen Island".
10. "Bowen Island".
11. Walbran, Captain John T.. (1971). "British Columbia Place Names, Their Origin and History". Douglas & McIntyre.
12. (1986). "British Columbia Place Names". UBC Press.
13. (2014-06-20). "Bowen Island Museum & Archives: Lieben: An Artist Colony". Bowenislandmuseum.ca.
14. "Ferry Schedule - Snug Cove-Horseshoe Bay". BC Ferries.
15. "Cormorant Marine". Cormorantwatertaxi.com.
16. "TransLink - Trip Planning". Translink.
17. "St. Gerard's church, Bowen Island, BC, Canada". Stgerards.rcav.org.
18. (2017-04-10). "Bowen Island Community Church". Bowencommunitychurch.org.
19. "Cates Hill Chapel / Welcome". Cateshillchapel.com.
20. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada. (2017-02-08). "Census Profile, 2016 Census - Bowen Island, Island municipality [Census subdivision], British Columbia and Canada [Country]".
21. (February 9, 2022). "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), British Columbia". [[Statistics Canada]].
22. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada. (2021-10-27). "Census Profile, 2016 Census".
23. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada. (2019-08-20). "2006 Community Profiles".
24. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada. (2019-07-02). "2001 Community Profiles".
25. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada. (2022-10-26). "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population".
26. "The Rita Tushingham Home Page - Credits & Photos 1964 - 1966".
27. "Stomp Tokyo Video Reviews - The Food of the Gods". Stomptokyo.com.
28. Sagi, Douglas. (12 December 1986). "At 64, actress DeCarlo's still having a good time". [[Vancouver Sun]].
29. (30 January 1987). "Drama bounces more often than basketball game". [[Vancouver Sun]].
30. "The Russia House (1990) - IMDb".
31. "Another Stakeout (1993) - IMDb".
32. "Katie Holmes Pictures Gallery - DVD Captures/DDB 126".
33. "Double Jeopardy (1999) - IMDb".
34. "Rugged Rich and the Ona Ona".
35. "The Fog (2005) - IMDb".
36. "Paper Moon Affair".
37. "The Hitchhiker".
38. "The Wicker Man (2006) - IMDb".
39. "Are We Still the Ugly American?".
40. "River".
41. "The Uninvited (2009) - IMDb".
42. (2019-03-14). "Cameras in Snug Cove are for Netflix TV series". The Undercurrent.