The colourful border between Canada and the U.S.
Te only garden occupying two countries, the International Peace Garden is a tribute to the friendship between two nations. It’s also beautiful, peaceful and intriguing.
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traddling the borders between Manitoba and North Dakota in the mystic Turtle Mountains, the Inter- national Peace Garden has symbolized the lasting friendship between Canada and the United States
since it opened on July 14, 1932. What a day that was! Over fifty thousand people attended the opening event – and when you think back to how sparse- ly populated both Manitoba and North Dakota were then, this number is something of a miracle. Cars were parked across the hills as far as the eye could see as people came from miles around to celebrate the day. Tere were mass choirs and bands from Manitoba and North Dakota. A fleet of airplanes took visitors on aerial tours to view the 2,332 acres of land, 881 acres in North Dakota and 1,451 acres in Manitoba. Pledges came from 31 non-profit organizations in Canada and the U.S. to carpet the garden with trees and flowers. Hearts were filled with friendship and goodwill as expressed by the boundary marker, a cairn built of stones gathered in both countries. It reads:
To God in His glory We two nations dedicate this garden And pledge ourselves that as long As man shall live we will not take up arms Against one another
Interestingly, this was not the beginning of the garden, but
rather the culmination of an idea put forward by Dr. Henry Moore of Ontario at a horticulture meeting in Greenwich, Conn. in 1928. He brought forward the concept again at a Toronto meeting of the U.S. National Association of Gar- deners and the idea was quickly endorsed. Te International Peace Garden, Inc. was incorporated in the State of New York on Sept. 17, 1930. A number of sites were considered for the garden but
when Dr. Moore happened to see Turtle Mountain on a flight west, he was smitten. “Tose undulating hills rising
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Steel girders from the Twin Towers of the New York World Trade Centre. Grim reminders of 9/11.
out of the limitless prairies . . . What a place for a garden,” he wrote. Even from the air, Moore recognized the special feeling of this place that had so engaged Pierre de LaVérendrye in 1738, when he first saw Turtle Mountain. He described the site as the “blue jewel of the prairie”. Various nations of aboriginal people have occupied the land for at least 10,000
Summer 2015 • 21
The four pillars of the Peace Tower are a focal point in the distance.
All photos by Dorothy Dobbie unless otherwise noted.
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