Bowen Park is named after a pair of brothers, George and James Bowen, owners of the San Francisco-based Western Fuel Company. In 1918, the company donated the parkland to the City of Nanaimo with a condition that it be used for park purposes only.
The park was very popular with residents who enjoyed hiking the trails and having picnics and other gatherings in the picturesque setting next to the Millstone River. Controversy arose in 1949 between the parks board and City Council when the parks board hired well-known logger Ole Buck to remove 293 trees in the interest of public safety.
Plans for developing the park were brought forward by the BC Forest Service in 1951 and on February 18, 1953, the Rotary Club of Nanaimo took on the project and established the Bowen Park Development Association.
Excerpted from the City of Nanaimo website. Photos courtesy of Keith McFarlane.
