PEACE ARCH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION!

Eighty years ago...

Sam Hill publicly spoke of a Peace Arch or Portal in July, 1915 in a speech at ceremonies celebrating the centennial of the Treaty of Ghent (1814), but he had proposed it in 1913, the year before the centennial. Perhaps he had been inspired by a wooden frame arch that had been built over the tracks on the boundary line near the present day truck route on the U.S. side of the border. He had gone to Blaine for ceremonies joining the Fairhaven and Southern Railroad to the Westminster and Southern Railroad in 1893. The Arch he proposed was majestic.

Between 1915 and 1921, Hill was to put both time and money into the construction of the arch. The cities of Blaine, Washington and Surrey, British Columbia purchased land on both sides of the border for parks, but in their early conception, they were a far cry from the beautiful places they are today. That would come later. The international cooperation on the Peace Arch’s construction is quite remarkable, a testament to Sam Hill’s many friendships and international influence. Once an architect was secured (from London), the materials were arranged. Construction began in July of 1920 which was closely followed newspapers in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. The inscriptions over the open portal read “CHILDREN OF A COMMON MOTHER” on the Washington side and “BRETHREN DWELLING TOGETHER IN UNITY”, on the British Columbia side.

Within the Portal two iron gates span the opening that leads from one country to the other . Over the west gate it is written : “1814 OPEN FOR 100 YEARS 1914” and over the east “MAY THESE GATES NEVER BE CLOSED”.

On September 6, 1921, it was dedicated. Over 10,000 people attended the ceremony. Bleachers and a stage were set up. Invited dignitaries came from Washington, British Columbia, and as far away as Europe. With World War I over for only a few short years, the Peace Arch had special meaning to many. A treaty signed so long ago and continually reaffirmed, was a cause for celebration and remembrance.

In 1930, a new project was developed: the expansion of parks on both sides of the border. N.D. Showalter, the superintendent of public schools, prepared “ Lasting Peace ”, a circular addressed to the school children of Washington State. The circular asked “Will you try to earn a dime yourself, and invest it with all the rest of us in this new international park.” Although the world was deep into the Depression and the Pacific Northwest on both sides of the international boundary felt it, it did not stop school children from saving their pennies and donating them to the creation of parks that would enhance the stark, white beauty of the arch. First begun on the American side, school children were invited to donate up to ten pennies a child. The result was $1,200.00. The following year, school children in British Columbia organized a similar campaign and $2,000.00 was raised. Today, the lovely parks on both sides of the boundary are open for all to visit and walk through the grounds. .

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