Overlooking Snug Cove and the hourly ferry, Cates Hill is among the newest developments on Bowen Island. However, it’s history stretches all the way back to 1887.
Originally the Royal City Planning Mills acquired the land for logging. Captain Cates of the Terminal Steamship Company owned the land from 1910 to 1913. It once again changed hands, being transferred over the Union Steamship Company. At this time it was still a forested, undeveloped section of Bowen.
However, Douglas Berry and Wolfgang Duntz had big plans for the land. Extending from the south-west corner of Government and Dorman Roads, the bought 260 acres was an empty slate. The partners had mixed-use walking trails, businesses, cluster housing, and a public 18-hole golf course in mind.
“Cates Corner” was built with two buildings to house some of Bowen’s amenities at the time, including the Pharmacy, Public Library, Undercurrent office, and Medical Clinic. With the purpose of creating a place where people love to live, Cates Hill development was under way.
Photographs courtesy of the Bowen Island Museum & Archives
