International Peace Garden; History and Progress

              T h e first c o n s t r u c t i o n w o r k w i t h i n the P e a c e G a r d e n was a stone c a i r n e r e c t ed
i n 1932 o n the I n t e r n a t i o n a l L i n e , a short d i s t a n c e f r om the p r o p o s e d e n t r a n c e . So
great was the interest i n t h e p r o p o s e d Peace G a r d e n that a t r e m e n d o u s c r o wd
g a t h e r e d o n t h e B o r d e r , m a n y m i l e s f r om the nearest v i l l a g e s , to a t t e n d the d e d i c a ­t
i o n c e r e m o n y on J u l y 14th, 1932. T h e c r o w d was e s t i m a t e d at over 50,000
p e o p l e . L e d b y the B i s h o p o f B r a n d o n , t h e y u n i t e d l y p l e d g e d t h e m s e l v e s in the
w o r d s i n s c r i b e d on the b r o n z e p l a q u e b u i l t i n t o the C a i r n and framed w i th
I n d i a n stone h a m m e r s:
" T O G O D I N H I S G L O R Y
W E TWO NATION'S DEDICATE TIUS GARDEN AND PLEDGE OURSELVES
THAT AS Lose AS M E N SHALL LIVE, W E W I LL
NOT TAKE U P ARMS AGAINST
O N E ANOTHER"
I n the first years, the Peace G a r d e n was s p o n s o r e d e n t i r e l y b y p e o p l e l i v i ng
i n the e a s t e r n p a r t of N o r t h A m e r i c a . T l i e I n t e r n a t i o n a l Peace G a r d e n I n c o r p o r a t ed
was o r g a n i z e d u n d e r the l a w s of t h e State of N o w Y o r k a n d u n t i l 1933 the a n n u al
m e e t i n g s w e r e h e l d i n t h e C i t y of N e w York.
It was the Gardeners* A s s o c i a t i o n s of the two c o u n t r i e s that s p o n s o r e d the
i d e a of h a \ i n g a Peace G a r d e n and it was their c o m m i t t e e that s e l e c t e d the
s i t e . T h e i r a p p e a l for support was made to the p u b l i c , i n c l u d i n g i n d i v i d u a l s,
o r g a n i z a t i o n s , a n d a l l l e v e l s of G o v e r n m e n t s . In other w o r d s , it was a movement
of the p e o p l e , b y the p e o p l e , for the p u r p o s e of e x p r e s s i n g the d e e p - r o o t e d desire
of a l l c i t i z e n s for the p r o m o t i o n a n d m a i n t e n a n c e of i n t e r n a t i o n a l g o o d w i l l and
h a r m o n i o u s r e l a t i o n s h i p s b e t w e e n nations. It is t r u e there are i n t e r n a t i o n a l parks
a n d b r i d g e s , etc., but these l a r g e l y f o u n d their o r i g i n i n g o v e r n m e n t a l a c t i o n a nd
w e r e financed almost e n t i r e l y b y G o v e r n m e n t funds, a n d do not c o n s t i t u t e an
e x p r e s s i o n of the c o m m o n p e o p l e for the ideals sought i n the I n t e r n a t i o n a l Peace
G a r d e n m o v e m e n t . It is therefore apparent that this G a r d e n is the o n l y one of its
k i n d o n the I n t e r n a t i o n a l B o u n d a r y.
T h e G a r d e n was l a u n c h e d d u r i n g the p e r i o d of serious d e p r e s s i o n , sometimes
c a l l e d " T h e H u n g r y T h i r t i e s . " T h e r e was m u c h u n e m p l o y m e n t a n d y o u n g men
w e r e g a t h e r e d i n t o the C h i l i a n C o n s e r v a t i o n C o r p s i n the U n i t e d States a n d i n to
U n e m p l o y e d R e l i e f P r o g r a m s i n C a n a d a . A C i v i l i a n C o n s e r v a t i o n C a m p was estab­l
i s h e d i n the I n t e r n a t i o n a l Peace G a r d e n o n the A m e r i c a n s i d e i n 1934. A n a r t i ­ficial
lake o f c o n s i d e r a b l e s i z e w a s c r e a t e d b y m e m b e r s of the C a m p t h r o u g h the
c o n s t r u c t i o n of a d a m a n d a separate s p i l l w a y . T h i s lake has since b e e n n a m ed
L a k e U d a l l , after W . V . U d a l l , e d i t o r of the B o i s s e v a i n R e c o r d e r , w h o has assisted
g r e a t l y w i t h the d e v e l o p m e n t . T h r e e m i l e s o f g r a v e l l e d p a r k r o a d w e r e b u i l t , w i th
l o g b r i d g e s over streams. A L o d g e was e r e c t e d u s i n g C a n a d i a n logs a n d U n i t ed
S t a t e s stone. T h i s b u i l d i n g is 105 feet l o n g , w i t h a w i n g 60 feet l o n g , w h i c h is
u s e d as a d i n i n g r o o m for g r o u p g a t h e r i n g s . T h e L o d g e e s p e c i a l l y is p o p u l a r w i th
o r g a n i z a t i o n s h a v i n g i n t e r n a t i o n a l c o n n e c t i o n s . T h r e e large p i c n i c shelters were
a l s o b u i l t a n d seven t o u r i s t c a b i n s , t h e latter p r o v i d i n g a c c o m m o d a t i o n for t w e l ve
g r o u p s . I n c i n e r a t o r s a n d open- air fire p l a c e s are in the v i c i n i t y of the p i c n ic
s h e l t e r s . A l s o a r e g u l a t i o n h i g h w i r e fence was b u i l t o n the outer b o u n d a r i e s.
O n the C a n a d i a n side, a s m a l l l a k e was c r e a t e d near the e n t r a n c e to the
G a r d e n a n d a l a r g e l a k e f u r t h e r back. I n 1939 e x t e n s i v e p l a n t i n g s of o r n a m e n t al
trees a n d s h r u b s were m a d e a r o u n d the s m a l l l a k e . A t h r e e - m i l e r o a d was sur­v
e y e d , g r a d e d a n d g r a v e l l e d , so t h a t v i s i t o r s n o w t r a v e l l i n g o v e r it get a t t r a c t i ve
v i e w s of the large b o d y of w a t e r . It has been n a m e d L a k e S t o r m o n , after
M r . J o h n S t o r m o n of R o l l a , N o r t h D a k o t a , w h o has been c o n n e c t e d w i t h the
P e a c e G a r d e n for m a n y years, first as S e c r e t a r y a n d m o r e r e c e n t l y as C h a i r m an
o f t h e B o a r d o f D i r e c t o r s .
3