The original site at the Peace Arch consisted of seven acres, half on American soil, half on Canadian. Above the gate on the west interior portal wall is written “1814 Open One Hundred Years 1914,” and on the east wall is etched, “May These Gates Never Be Closed.” Above the portal on the American side of the arch is inscribed “Children Of A Common Mother,” while over the Canadian side it reads “Brethren Dwelling Together In Unity.” Originally, 470 lights outlined the exterior and interior of the arch, illuminating it at night, but this proved impractical to maintain and they were removed in the mid-1940s. ![]() ![]() The arch was completed the following year and dedicated by Sam Hill in a ceremony on September 6, 1921.īuilt straddling the border between the United States and Canada, the arch has iron gates inside its portal, permanently held open. It was framed with 50 tons of steel, and 800 cubic yards of concrete were used in its construction. In July 1920 work began on the 67-foot-tall concrete and steel structure that would become the Peace Arch. The idea for an arch was not entirely new - a wooden arch was built over the railroad tracks at the border just north of Blaine when the railroad border crossing was completed in 1891, and in 1911 Blaine had built a temporary white arch on its main street to celebrate a fair - but Hill’s arch was to be far more impressive. But the real force behind the creation of the Peace Arch was Samuel “Sam” Hill (1857-1931), founder of the Washington State Good Roads Association. Donovan, vice president of the Pacific Highway Association in Whatcom County, placed a motion before the crowd (enthusiastically carried) that the American and Canadian governments be asked to build a marble “peace arch” at the site to commemorate both the dedication of the highway and 100 years of peace between Great Britain and the United States. When the Pacific Highway was dedicated at the border north of Blaine in 1915, J. ![]() Initially developed in the 1930s, the park has the Peace Arch monument as its centerpiece, and is known for its attractive gardens, ethereal views, and open border. But the two are typically thought of as one, and the whole is known informally as Peace Arch Park. There are actually two parks - Peace Arch State Park in the United States and Peace Arch Provincial Park in Canada - and they adjoin each other along the border just east of Semiahmoo Bay. Peace Arch Park is a 43-acre park located on the U.S.-Canadian border between Blaine, Washington, and Douglas, British Columbia.
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