Historic Sites of Manitoba: International Peace Garden

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Photos & Coordinates | Sources

The International Peace Garden, located on the international border near the towns of Dunseith, North Dakota, and Boissevain, was originally conceived in 1928 by Dr. Henry J. Moore, a horticulturist and teacher from Islington, Ontario. Over 50,000 people attended its dedication ceremony on 14 July 1932 and physical development of the site began two years later.

Over the decades, a number of structures have been built on the Gardens’ 2,339-acre site. They include a Peace Chapel (1970) that straddles the Canada-US border, the Carillon Bell Tower (1976), a 37-metre-tall Peace Tower (1982), a 9-11 Memorial consisting of ten steel girders from the former World Trade Center (2002), and a 17,600 square foot Interpretive Centre (2010).

A stone monument near the entrance to the Garden was unveiled at the dedication ceremony in 1932. Additional plaques were affixed to it on 25 May 2000 on the occasion of a meeting of the Premiers of western Canada and some Governors of the western United States. Present at the meeting were Edward Schafer (Governor of North Dakota), Dirk Kempthorne (Governor of Idaho), Gary Doer (Premier of Manitoba), Ujjal Dosanjh (Premier of British Columbia), Roy Romanow (Premier of Saskatchewan), Ralph Klein (Premier of Alberta), Stephen Kakiwi (Premier of the North West Territories), Pat Duncan (Premier of Yukon), Paul Okalik (Premier of Nunavut), Gordon D. Giffin (US Ambassador to Canada), and Raymond A. J. Chretien (Canadian Ambassador to the US).

A pair of bronze plaques, mounted at ground level in the gardens, were deployed in the 1960s. One plaque, unveiled by Lieutenant Governor Errick French Willis on behalf of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly on 17 June 1961, commemorates the centenary of the Dakota Territory from the state of North Dakota was carved. The second plaque, unveiled by Governor William L. Guy on behalf of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly on 23 June 1967, commemorates the centenary of Canada.

The Carillon Bell Tower with 14 bells was a memorial gift for Lady Arna Sifton from her two sons. For 42 years, the bells were located on the First Methodist Church in Brandon. In the mid 1970s, the Brandon Central United Church donated the bells to the Peace Garden.

The Let Peace Prevail monument composed of steel rescues from the devastation of the World Trade Center was officially unveiled by Manitoba Premier Gary Doer on 11 September 2002. Nearby is a display of steel girders from the World Trade Center.

Chairs

Period	Chair	Residence
1937-1938	Donald J. Crighton	?
1938-1945	Henry J. Moore	Islington, Ontario
1945-1947	F. R. Longworth	?
1947-1957	John Stormon	Rolla, North Dakota
1957-1969	William Russell “Russ” Leslie (1891-1985)	Morden, Manitoba
1969-1974	Reginald Otto Lissaman (1908-1974)	Brandon, Manitoba
1974-1977	Edward Ingo “Ed” Dow (1904-1992)	Boissevain, Manitoba
1977-1979	Eric D. Putt (?-2004)	Morden, Manitoba
1979-?	Donald Heyes	Winnipeg, Manitoba

Presidents

Period	President	Residence
1932-1936	Donald J. Crighton	?
1936-1941	Dr. Charles MacLachlan	Dunseith, North Dakota
1941-1947	W. M. Smart	Minot, North Dakota
1947-1957	Donald Gordon McKenzie (1887-1963)	Winnipeg, Manitoba
1957-1973	John Stormon	Rolla, North Dakota
1973-?	Oscar Solberg	Rolla, North Dakota

Photos & Coordinates

Postcard giving an aerial view of the International Peace Garden, with Canada at left and USA at right (circa 1960s) Source: Gordon Goldsborough, 2011-0050. International Peace Gardens (2011) Source: Christian Cassidy International Peace Tower (2011) Source: Christian Cassidy Centennial commemoration plaques (June 2019) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Dedication cairn near the entrance to the Garden (June 2019) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Carillon Bell Tower (July 2022) Source: George Penner Let Peace Prevail monument (July 2022) Source: George Penner Let Peace Prevail monument (July 2022) Source: George Penner Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.00000, W100.05432 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Boundary Cairn (International Peace Garden)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Errick F. Willis Pavilion (International Peace Garden)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: First Methodist Church / First United Church (Lorne Avenue, Brandon)

A Border Vision: The International Peace Garden by Charles Thomsen
Manitoba History, Number 31, Spring 1996

International Peace Garden, Canada - USA

Sources:

A Century of Horticulture in Manitoba: 1880-1980 by Peter Jacob Peters, 1988, page 441.

We thank George Penner for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Christian Cassidy.

Page revised: 11 December 2022

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