In the weeks leading up to the opening of the Nex̱wlélex̱wm Kyosei (共生) Peace Park, we’re sharing some of the people, places and histories that connect Bowen Island to the wider Japanese Canadian history of Átl’ḵa7tsem / Howe Sound.
Union Steamships were a familiar sight along the coast, carrying workers, families, goods and supplies between Vancouver, Bowen Island and industrial communities throughout Howe Sound.
WORKING THE INDUSTRIAL COAST Japanese immigrants and Canadians of Japanese descent lived and worked on Bowen Island and Átl’ḵa7tsem / Howe Sound in the industries that shaped the region. On Bowen, Japanese workers logged the forests, staked mining claims and worked at the explosives plant at Tunstall Bay. Eikichi Kagetsu established a logging operation near Seymour Bay, where Japanese workers and their families lived at the camp. Across Howe Sound, Japanese workers were part of industrial communities at Woodfibre and Britannia Beach, working in mills, mines and other industries. Fishing also connected Bowen and Howe Sound to a much larger Japanese Canadian community along the B.C. coast. They did this work while facing discrimination and laws that restricted where Japanese people could work and the jobs they could hold. In 1942, the forced removal of people of Japanese descent from the B.C. coast brought these communities and working lives to an abrupt end. The Nex̱wlélex̱wm Kyosei (共生) Peace Park will help make this history better known. Making Peace with the Past – Creating Hope for the Future Opening Saturday, September 26, 2026 - Gather at the Bowen Island Lodge at 1:00 Sandy Beach Municipal Park, Bowen Island ... See MoreSee Less
As we count down to the opening of the Nex̱wlélex̱wm Kyosei (共生) Peace Park on September 26, we’re sharing some of the people and histories the park will remember.
DAIKICHI KOGA
WHO HELPED BUILD BOWEN'S FIRST RESORT? If you know old Bowen, you may recognize the photographs: landscaped paths, ponds, gardens and the Japanese-style bridge above Bridal Veil Falls.
But do you know who helped create them?
Daikichi Koga came to Canada from Japan in 1906. He became works foreman for Captain John Cates's Terminal Steam Navigation Company and, with his brother Shiro, supervised a crew of as many as 25 Japanese workers on Bowen Island. Their work helped turn Cates's vision for Bowen as a summer resort into reality. They built and maintained gardens, pathways and ponds, as well as infrastructure that supplied water and power to the growing resort. Around 1914, Koga and his crew constructed the distinctive Japanese-style wooden bridge above Bridal Veil Falls.
Much of what they built has disappeared, but photographs preserve a remarkable record of their work. Daikichi Koga’s work helped shape Bowen Island. The Nex̱wlélex̱wm Kyosei (共生) Peace Park will help make that history better known.
Making Peace with the Past – Creating Hope for the Future Opening Saturday, September 26, 2026 at 1 PM Sandy Beach Municipal Park, Bowen Island ... See MoreSee Less
As we prepare for the opening of the Nex̱wlélex̱wm Kyosei (共生) Peace Park on September 26, we are sharing some of the people and histories the park will remember.
THE YAMADA FAMILY OF KING EDWARD BAY For nearly twenty years, the Yamada family made their home at King Edward Bay on Bowen Island. Kanichi and Masano Yamada raised their ten children here. Kanichi worked on the Malkin property, while the family farmed and kept dairy cows. Their children attended Bowen Island School. In 1942, the life the Yamadas had built on Bowen Island was abruptly ended when they were forcibly removed from the B.C. coast, along with thousands of other Canadians of Japanese descent. More than eighty years later, traces of their life on Bowen remain. Apple trees planted by the Yamada family at King Edward Bay still stand today, and grafts from those trees will soon be planted at the new Nex̱wlélex̱wm Kyosei (共生) Peace Park. The trees are a living connection to the Yamada family and the life they built on Bowen Island.
Making Peace with the Past – Creating Hope for the Future
Opening Saturday, September 26, 2026 at 1 PM�Sandy Beach Municipal Park, Bowen Island ... See MoreSee Less
As far as I remember, the Malkin family who owned King Edward Bay helped to relocate the Yamada to the Okanagan , after their internment. I remember this because Joe Malkin would share a box of fruit and vegetables from their farm with us at our summer house at KEB which they sent in thanks every year . Such a sad story.
This is going to be incredible - the location, structures, signage - very special. This was an ugly part of our recent history but if we can sit quietly in beauty & think of all we lost, the hope is it will never happen again. Thank-you to the project organizers, volunteers, artists & workers.
THE HISTORY HAPPENED HERE.� IT SHOULD BE REMEMBERED HERE.
Something important is taking shape at Sandy Beach.
On September 26, the Nex̱wlélex̱wm Kyosei (共生) Peace Park will officially open.
The Peace Park honours the Japanese Canadians who lived, worked, raised families and helped shape Nex̱wlélex̱wm / Bowen Island and communities throughout Átl’ḵa7tsem / Howe Sound before their forced removal from the B.C. coast in 1942.
Through photographs, stories and interpretive signs, the park will present this history and create a permanent place for learning, remembrance and reflection.
Making Peace with the Past – Creating Hope for the Future
Opening Saturday, September 26, 2026 at 1 PM. �Sandy Beach Municipal Park, Bowen Island ... See MoreSee Less
!Join us for a free ’Craft + Culture’ summer activity! A bite-size local history lesson with a related craft. A weaving workshop with Hiromi Yamada while exploring the history of Robinson Weavers on Bowen! In partnership with the Bowen Island Public Library All materials, tea and snacks provided. Location: 1014 Miller Rd. Bowen Island Museum & Archives Time: Saturday August 15, 2026, 10:30 – 12 Register at: bicurator@telus.net ... See MoreSee Less
Join us for a free ’Craft + Culture’ summer activity! A bite-size local history lesson with a related craft. A weaving workshop with Hiromi Yamada while exploring the history of Robinson Weavers on Bowen! In partnership with the Bowen Island Public Library All materials, tea and snacks provided. Location: 1014 Miller Rd. Bowen Island Museum & Archives Time: Saturday August 15, 2026, 10:30 – 12 Register at: bicurator@telus.net ... See MoreSee Less
Join us on Saturday July 11, 2026 10:30am - 12noon for Craft + Culture at the Bowen Island Museum & Archives. A free Saturday morning activity for caregivers and their children: a bit size history lesson and related craft. This Saturday with feature an Origami workshop with Hiromi Yamada and Japanese Canadian History on Bowen. We will also celebrate Tanabata. Refreshments and materials provided Where: Bowen Island Museum & Archives 1014 Miller Road When: 10:30 am - 12 noon July 11, 2026 To RSVO and join the fun: email bicurator@telus.net to register Support provided by the Bowen Island Literary Task Group ... See MoreSee Less
Join us on Saturday July 11, 2026 10:30am - 12noon for Craft + Culture at the Bowen Island Museum & Archives. A free Saturday morning activity for caregivers and their children: a bit size history lesson and related craft. This Saturday with feature an Origami workshop with Hiromi Yamada and Japanese Canadian History on Bowen. We will also celebrate Tanabata.
Refreshments and materials provided
Where: Bowen Island Museum & Archives 1014 Miller Road When: 10:30 am - 12 noon July 11, 2026 To RSVO and join the fun: email bicurator@telus.net to register
Support provided by the Bowen Island Literary Task Group ... See MoreSee Less
Join us tomorrow - Saturday, June 13, from 1:00–4:00 p.m. for a wonderful opportunity to come together, connect with friends and neighbours, and celebrate our community in the museum’s building and garden. The afternoon will feature delicious food generously donated by local favourites Artisan Eats, Barcelona Tapas, Bowen Island Pub, The Ruddy, The Snug Cafe, Tell Your Friends, and Tippy, along with live music by Bowen Island musicians Arthur and Leo Szabo. ... See MoreSee Less
In the weeks leading up to the opening of the Nex̱wlélex̱wm Kyosei (共生) Peace Park, we’re sharing some of the people, places and histories that connect Bowen Island to the wider Japanese Canadian history of Átl’ḵa7tsem / Howe Sound.
Union Steamships were a familiar sight along the coast, carrying workers, families, goods and supplies between Vancouver, Bowen Island and industrial communities throughout Howe Sound.
WORKING THE INDUSTRIAL COAST
Japanese immigrants and Canadians of Japanese descent lived and worked on Bowen Island and Átl’ḵa7tsem / Howe Sound in the industries that shaped the region.
On Bowen, Japanese workers logged the forests, staked mining claims and worked at the explosives plant at Tunstall Bay. Eikichi Kagetsu established a logging operation near Seymour Bay, where Japanese workers and their families lived at the camp.
Across Howe Sound, Japanese workers were part of industrial communities at Woodfibre and Britannia Beach, working in mills, mines and other industries. Fishing also connected Bowen and Howe Sound to a much larger Japanese Canadian community along the B.C. coast.
They did this work while facing discrimination and laws that restricted where Japanese people could work and the jobs they could hold.
In 1942, the forced removal of people of Japanese descent from the B.C. coast brought these communities and working lives to an abrupt end.
The Nex̱wlélex̱wm Kyosei (共生) Peace Park will help make this history better known.
Making Peace with the Past – Creating Hope for the Future
Opening Saturday, September 26, 2026 - Gather at the Bowen Island Lodge at 1:00
Sandy Beach Municipal Park, Bowen Island ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
As we count down to the opening of the Nex̱wlélex̱wm Kyosei (共生) Peace Park on September 26, we’re sharing some of the people and histories the park will remember.
DAIKICHI KOGA
WHO HELPED BUILD BOWEN'S FIRST RESORT?
If you know old Bowen, you may recognize the photographs: landscaped paths, ponds, gardens and the Japanese-style bridge above Bridal Veil Falls.
But do you know who helped create them?
Daikichi Koga came to Canada from Japan in 1906. He became works foreman for Captain John Cates's Terminal Steam Navigation Company and, with his brother Shiro, supervised a crew of as many as 25 Japanese workers on Bowen Island.
Their work helped turn Cates's vision for Bowen as a summer resort into reality. They built and maintained gardens, pathways and ponds, as well as infrastructure that supplied water and power to the growing resort. Around 1914, Koga and his crew constructed the distinctive Japanese-style wooden bridge above Bridal Veil Falls.
Much of what they built has disappeared, but photographs preserve a remarkable record of their work.
Daikichi Koga’s work helped shape Bowen Island. The Nex̱wlélex̱wm Kyosei (共生) Peace Park will help make that history better known.
Making Peace with the Past – Creating Hope for the Future
Opening Saturday, September 26, 2026 at 1 PM
Sandy Beach Municipal Park, Bowen Island ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
As we prepare for the opening of the Nex̱wlélex̱wm Kyosei (共生) Peace Park on September 26, we are sharing some of the people and histories the park will remember.
THE YAMADA FAMILY OF KING EDWARD BAY
For nearly twenty years, the Yamada family made their home at King Edward Bay on Bowen Island.
Kanichi and Masano Yamada raised their ten children here. Kanichi worked on the Malkin property, while the family farmed and kept dairy cows. Their children attended Bowen Island School.
In 1942, the life the Yamadas had built on Bowen Island was abruptly ended when they were forcibly removed from the B.C. coast, along with thousands of other Canadians of Japanese descent.
More than eighty years later, traces of their life on Bowen remain. Apple trees planted by the Yamada family at King Edward Bay still stand today, and grafts from those trees will soon be planted at the new Nex̱wlélex̱wm Kyosei (共生) Peace Park.
The trees are a living connection to the Yamada family and the life they built on Bowen Island.
Making Peace with the Past – Creating Hope for the Future
Opening Saturday, September 26, 2026 at 1 PM�Sandy Beach Municipal Park, Bowen Island ... See MoreSee Less
2 CommentsComment on Facebook
As far as I remember, the Malkin family who owned King Edward Bay helped to relocate the Yamada to the Okanagan , after their internment. I remember this because Joe Malkin would share a box of fruit and vegetables from their farm with us at our summer house at KEB which they sent in thanks every year . Such a sad story.
This is going to be incredible - the location, structures, signage - very special. This was an ugly part of our recent history but if we can sit quietly in beauty & think of all we lost, the hope is it will never happen again. Thank-you to the project organizers, volunteers, artists & workers.
THE HISTORY HAPPENED HERE.�
IT SHOULD BE REMEMBERED HERE.
Something important is taking shape at Sandy Beach.
On September 26, the Nex̱wlélex̱wm Kyosei (共生) Peace Park will officially open.
The Peace Park honours the Japanese Canadians who lived, worked, raised families and helped shape Nex̱wlélex̱wm / Bowen Island and communities throughout Átl’ḵa7tsem / Howe Sound before their forced removal from the B.C. coast in 1942.
Through photographs, stories and interpretive signs, the park will present this history and create a permanent place for learning, remembrance and reflection.
Making Peace with the Past – Creating Hope for the Future
Opening Saturday, September 26, 2026 at 1 PM. �Sandy Beach Municipal Park, Bowen Island ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
!Join us for a free ’Craft + Culture’ summer activity! A bite-size local history lesson with a related craft.
A weaving workshop with Hiromi Yamada while exploring the history of Robinson Weavers on Bowen!
In partnership with the Bowen Island Public Library
All materials, tea and snacks provided.
Location: 1014 Miller Rd. Bowen Island Museum & Archives
Time: Saturday August 15, 2026, 10:30 – 12
Register at: bicurator@telus.net ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Join us for a free ’Craft + Culture’ summer activity! A bite-size local history lesson with a related craft.
A weaving workshop with Hiromi Yamada while exploring the history of Robinson Weavers on Bowen!
In partnership with the Bowen Island Public Library
All materials, tea and snacks provided.
Location: 1014 Miller Rd. Bowen Island Museum & Archives
Time: Saturday August 15, 2026, 10:30 – 12
Register at: bicurator@telus.net ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Join us on Saturday July 11, 2026 10:30am - 12noon for Craft + Culture at the Bowen Island Museum & Archives. A free Saturday morning activity for caregivers and their children: a bit size history lesson and related craft. This Saturday with feature an Origami workshop with Hiromi Yamada and Japanese Canadian History on Bowen. We will also celebrate Tanabata.
Refreshments and materials provided
Where: Bowen Island Museum & Archives
1014 Miller Road
When: 10:30 am - 12 noon July 11, 2026
To RSVO and join the fun: email bicurator@telus.net to register
Support provided by the Bowen Island Literary Task Group ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Join us on Saturday July 11, 2026 10:30am - 12noon for Craft + Culture at the Bowen Island Museum & Archives. A free Saturday morning activity for caregivers and their children: a bit size history lesson and related craft. This Saturday with feature an Origami workshop with Hiromi Yamada and Japanese Canadian History on Bowen. We will also celebrate Tanabata.
Refreshments and materials provided
Where: Bowen Island Museum & Archives
1014 Miller Road
When: 10:30 am - 12 noon July 11, 2026
To RSVO and join the fun: email bicurator@telus.net to register
Support provided by the Bowen Island Literary Task Group ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Join us tomorrow - Saturday, June 13, from 1:00–4:00 p.m. for a wonderful opportunity to come together, connect with friends and neighbours, and celebrate our community in the museum’s building and garden.
The afternoon will feature delicious food generously donated by local favourites Artisan Eats, Barcelona Tapas, Bowen Island Pub, The Ruddy, The Snug Cafe, Tell Your Friends, and Tippy, along with live music by Bowen Island musicians Arthur and Leo Szabo. ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook