They were built starting in the 1920s when Bowen Island became a popular destination for visitors.

Today, only 10 of these historic cottages remain at the heart of Snug Cove near the ferry terminal.

They were once part of the old Davies Orchard, a site that now forms part of the Crippen Regional Park.

This winter, the Metro Vancouver regional district government will lay out plans for the nearly one-hectare Davies Orchard site.

The regional government is currently studying options with three goals in mind. One is to improve public access and use of the orchard area. The second is to better integrate the site to the regional park. The third is to celebrate its heritage.

The Bowen Island Heritage Preservation Association was formed in 1989 with a mission to save the Davies Orchard from demolition.

The association has since been working to preserve the site, and its voice will surely be heard when Metro Vancouver announces its intentions.

The call to retain the Davies Orchard cottages has earned the support of the Vancouver Historical Society.

In a letter to Metro Vancouver’s regional parks committee, which meets Wednesday (October 12), the group notes that the Davies Orchard is a “irreplaceable” possession.

“The Davies Orchard Cottages are a unique asset, not just in Metro Vancouver but in the province,” states the letter signed by association president Michael Kluckner. “They evoke, in a way no signage ever could, the holiday ambience Bowen Island presented for Vancouverites in an earlier era. Combined with some sensitive interpretation and the contemporary attractions of Snug Cove, the cottages could be a real destination for daytrippers and Island residents alike.”

The association is urging Metro Vancouver to see how the Bowen Island cottages can be integrated into a new plan for the Crippen Regional Park.

“There are plenty of opportunities for visitors and residents of Bowen to experience natural landscapes — the trail system, the surviving forests, the shoreline. However, the opportunities to experience a cultural landscape are very few,” notes the letter.

According to Metro Vancouver, the site was cultivated by William Davies in the late 1880s. Fruit from the orchard was sold to residents in the island and Vancouver. In the early 1900s, Davies rented tents to visitors to the island. Starting in the 1920s, rental cottages were built.

A final plan for the Davies Orchard is expected to be ready in the spring.