BOWSER

BOWSER

Is a tiny community located 66 kilometers, north of Nanaimo on Highway #19A on the central part of Vancouver Island overlooking Georgia Strait. Bowser is named in honor of William John Bowser, a former politician, who was premier of British Columbia from 1915-1916. The community’s hotel was made famous in the 1930s by a dog named “Mike” who was trained to deliver beer to patrons. Bowser started out in 1914 by construction of the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway and a post office opened one year later. Logging boasted Bowser’s economy for years, but now it is a commercial town for tourism and travelers alike. Due to its location near the ocean, Bowser is a part of a group of communities on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island that are simply known as Oceanside.

BOWSER’S POPULATION: 131