Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Time Traveller: Day-tripping to Bowen Island with Captain Jack Cates

Captain John Andrew “Jack” Cates formed the Terminal Steamship Company in 1902 in hopes of establishing Bowen Island as a thriving tourist resort
captain-jack-cates

In 1902, Captain John Andrew “Jack” Cates formed the Terminal Steamship Company to provide a ferry service throughout Howe Sound and bring day-trippers to Bowen Island, where he sought to establish a popular tourist resort.

In the above photo, Cates is pictured in 1917 on his boat “Behrens,” before setting out to Bowen Island with a picnic group. Cates sold the business to the Union Steamship Company in 1920, which continued to operate the resort until the 1960s.

Captain Cates died in 1943. His nephew Charles Warren Cates was mayor of the City of North Vancouver from 1953 to 1957.

Visit the MONOVA website for more information about the history of the North Shore and to plan your visit to MONOVA: Museum of North Vancouver, now open at 115 West Esplanade in The Shipyards.

Currently, MONOVA: Archives of North Vancouver, at 3203 Institute Road in Lynn Valley, is open by appointment only. Contact: [email protected]

Navigate culture on the North Shore by using the North Shore Culture Compass.