BC Heritage Sites Visits Bowen Island
Photo L–R: Linda Kawamoto Reid; Peter Vaisbord, Bowen Island Heritage Commission; Susanne Tabata; Ellen Hayakawa; Andrew Leonard, Bowen Island Mayor. Photo by Kathryn Gaitens.
Bridal Veil Falls
The Japanese style bridge that spanned Killarney Creek at the top of Bridal Veil Falls was built around 1914 by the Terminal Steamship Company.
“The railings of the Bridal Path were made of carefully chosen cedar branches. Another little wooden bridge spanned the entrance to the lagoon. Bridges and paths were designed in the manner of the Japanese garden by the works foreman, the invaluable Koga, and constructed with the aid of his crew of workmen, mostly Japanese, who did the maintenance work on the estate”.
Page 58, Bowen Island 1873-1973
By Irene Howard
On January 8, 2023, Susanne Tabata & Linda Kawamoto Reid from the BC Heritage Sites team were invited to Bowen Island – Nex̱wlélex̱m to view the former site of the once beautiful bridge engineered by Shiro Koga. Not only was the site by Bridal Veil Falls beautiful, but it seemed a perfect fit for commemorating JC history while incorporating the Island aesthetic by being on a natural walking trail, one of ten historic sites of interest, and close to the town for tourists to explore. After the visit, we attended as a delegation to present the BC Heritage sites funding program to Mayor Leonard and council at an open meeting which was well received by the community and unanimous support from council. We are looking forward to further talks with Metro Vancouver to explore what type of commemoration is feasible on Bowen Island.