This regional park was established in 1983 through the purchase of the lands from a Mr. Crippen. Part of the agreement was that the Park would bear his name. Located on Bowen Island in the Greater Vancouver area of British Columbia, Canada, Crippen regional park is 240 hectares (600 acre).

These lands were once part of the 1000 acre Union Steamship Company Estates (USCE) which operated between the 1920's and the 1940's. USCE was a popular vacation resort for many years. After World War II, the popularity of the resort declined and was wrapped up in the 1950's. The main part of Union Steamship business was water-based transportation along the coast of British Columbia.

The USCE lands were bought and sold several times before they were acquired by Mr. Crippen. Over the years, about 400 acres were subdivided off and developed primarily for housing, but also some other uses as well, including school, seniors housing, and police station. Mr. Crippen's primary interests were engineering and land development.

I am very grateful to Greg Paris and staff of the Greater Vancouver Regional District Parks Department for providing a wealth of useful information.

For more information and location maps go to: