International Peace Garden; History and Progress

              Progress
T h e S e c o n d W o r l d W a r put a t e m p o r a r y stop to F e d e r a l a i d i n t h e d e v e l o p ­ment
of t h e P e a c e G a r d e n . I n 1948 the B o a r d of D i r e c t o r s o f t h e G a r d e n l a u n c h ed
a c a m p a i g n for funds w i t h w h i c h to resume d e v e l o p m e n t . A n a p p e a l was made
t o i n d i v i d u a l s a n d o r g a n i z a t i o n s , to State a n d P r o v i n c i a l g o v e r n m e n t s , a n d to
F e d e r a l governments on b o t h sides of the l i n e . C o n g r e s s v o t e d $ 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 to be
e x p e n d e d i n t h e years 19S0 to 1953. T h e C a n a d i a n G o v e r n m e n t v o t e d $ 1 5 , 0 00
y e a r l y b u t this was r e d u c e d to $ 1 0 , 0 0 0 i n 1953. T h e S t a t e of N o r t h D a k o t a made
g r a n t s p r o v i d i n g 8 4 , 0 0 0 a n n u a l l y . T h e S t a t e H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y o f N o r t h D a k o ta
a l so c o n t r i b u t e d s u b s t a n t i a l l y b y m a k i n g a v a i l a b l e t h e services o f its officials and
b y p r a c t i c a l c o - o p e r a t i v e assistance. T h e P r o v i n c e of M a n i t o b a g a v e $ 2 , 5 0 0 i n c a sh
i n 1953 a n d i n a d d i t i o n p r o v i d e d s u b s t a n t i a l assistance i n the f o r m of free labor,
e n g i n e e r i n g service, use of e q u i p m e n t and in r o a d c o n s t r u c t i o n . M a n y r u r al
m u n i c i p a l i t i e s , towns a n d cities, C h a m b e r s of C o m m e r c e , b u s i n e s s o r g a n i z a t i o ns
a n d service clubs j o i n e d a c t i v e l y i n p r o m o t i n g this great project.
W o m e n ' s o r g a n i z a t i o n s h a v e g i v e n w o n d e r f u l e n c o u r a g e m e n t . T h e F e d e r a t ed
W o m e n ' s Institutes of C a n a d a , a n d the H o m e m a k e r s of the U n i t e d States, the
I m p e r i a l O r d e r D a u g h t e r s of t h e E m p i r e , t h e O r d e r of t h e E a s t e r n S t a r , a n d the
B u s i n e s s a n d P r o f e s s i o n a l W o m e n ' s C l u b s h a v e not o n l y a s s i s t e d f i n a n c i a l l y but
t h e y have also u s e d P e a c e G a r d e n l i t e r a t u r e i n t h e i r s t u d y g r o u p s . T h e s e w o m e n ' s
o r g a n i z a t i o n s r e c o g n i z e the part that this I n t e r n a t i o n a l Peace G a r d e n can p l ay
i n m o u l d i n g , d e v e l o p i n g , a n d s u s t a i n i n g the p e a c e f u l r e l a t i o n s that n o w exist
b e t w e e n these two nations. T h e G a r d e n can be made into a p l a c e of beauty
t h a t w i l l c a l l the a t t e n t i o n of n a t i o n s e v e r y w h e r e to the fact that here on the
N o r t h A m e r i c a n c o n t i n e n t is a f r o n t i e r 3.987 m i l e s l o n g b e t w e e n t w o n a t i o n s a nd
t h e o n l y f o r t i s t h i s F o r t r e s s o f F r i e n d s h i p , l o c a t e d i n t h e c e n t r e o f t h e c o n t i n e n t.
T h e b l u e p r i n t s a n d p l a n s d r a f t e d b y the N a t i o n a l P a r k s S e r v i c e o f t h e U n i t ed
States i n c o n s u l t a t i o n w i t h the N a t i o n a l P a r k s S e r v i c e of C a n a d a p r o v i d e for
d i s t i n c t i v e features i n the g a r d e n area. T w o large n a t u r a l parks, one on each
s i d e o f the B o u n d a r y , are b e i n g d e v e l o p e d , as w e l l as a F o r m a l A r e a that w i ll
e x t e n d a l o n g the B o u n d a r y . T h e latter w i l l consist of a series of p a n e l s , w h i ch
j o i n t l y w i l l e x t e n d for t h r e e - q u a r t e r s of a m i l e w e s t w a r d f r om the m a i n e n t r a n c e,
a n d w i l l be c o n s t r u c t e d so that one side w i l l be an exact d u p l i c a t e of the other.
F r o m east to west t h e y w i l l be: the Peace P a n e l , the T e r r a c e P a n e l , t h e S u n k en
G a r d e n , the C a s c a d e P a n e l , the R e f l e c t i n g P o o l a n d t h e P e a c e T o w e r.
P e a c e P a n el
T h e C a i r n , s i t u a t e d on a t u r f p l o t o n the B o u n d a r y L i n e , is t h e o u t s t a n d i ng
f e a t u r e of the Peace P a n e l , w i t h the n a t i o n a l flags of the t w o c o u n t r i e s w a v i ng
c o l o r f u l l y i n t h e b r e e z e on e i t h e r side, one to the n o r t h , the other to t h e south.
S u r r o u n d i n g the C a i r n are the plots of the N a t i o n a l H o m e D e m o n s t r a t i on
C o u n c i l of the U n i t e d States a n d the F e d e r a t e d W o m e n ' s I n s t i t u t e s of C a n a d a,
w h o have a s s u m e d f i n a n c i a l r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r the l a n d s c a p e d g r o u n d s n o r t h a nd
s o u t h of t h e e n t r a n c e r o a d s to the G a r d e n . T h e r e , o r n a m e n t a l shrubs first meet
t h e eye, a n u m b e r g i v i n g e a r l y b l o o m . T u l i p s i n g l o w i n g c o l o r s greet t h e s p r i ng
v i s i t o r , f o l l o w e d b y M o r d e n P i n k L y t h r u m a n d other p e r e n n i a l s i n s u m m e r , and
G l a d i o l i a n d A u t u m n A s t e r s i n the f a l l . Some 2 , 5 0 0 b e d d i n g p l a n t s of a n n u al
flowers are set out i n t h e s p r i n g of e a c h year. T h e H o m e m a k e r s C l u b s o f N o r th
D a k o t a a n d the F e d e r a t e d W o m e n ' s I n s t i t u t e s of C a n a d a f i n a n c e d the b i u l d i ng
of a n I n f o r m a t i o n B o o t h i n this area i n 1952, a n d have since c o n t r i b u t e d further
to i t s u p k e e p.
A d j o i n i n g these p l o t s a r e the l a r g e t u r f e d areas financed by t h e J u n i o r R e d
C r o s s of b o t h c o u n t r i e s , s t r e t c h i n g i n v e r d a n t greenness a l o n g t h e B o u n d a r y L i ne
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