Bowser, British Columbia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bowser, (Population 131), is community on the east coast of Vancouver Island located 66 km north of Nanaimo. It is situated in a region informally known as Lighthouse Country, which is a stretch of highway extending from Qualicum Beach in the South to Fanny Bay in the North and across to Denman and Hornby Islands.

[edit] History and Economy

Bowser was named in honour of former British Columbia premier William John Bowser who served from 1915 until 1916. The community's origins are traced to the establishment of the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway, which came through the community in 1914. A post office was established there the following year. Logging was the economic mainstay for several years, however, in recent years it has become a tourist destination with popular sites for kayaking, hiking, fishing and caving.

[edit] Trivia

Bowser's local hotel was famous in the 1930s for its dog Mike who was trained by his owners to deliver beer bottles to tables, receive the payment and deliver change. A regular customer of the Bowser Hotel was Jack Holt,who was the Bowser postmaster from the time of WW1 until the late 1950's.

[edit] References

• "Bowser."Encyclopedia of British Columbia.2000

• Bowser, British Columbia, Canada. Accessed Friday, March 17, 2006 <http://www.britishcolumbia.com/regions/towns/?townID=45>