Peace Arch
Encyclopedia
The Peace Arch is a monument
situated on the Canada – United States border between the communities of Blaine, Washington
and Surrey
, British Columbia
. The Peace Arch, which stands
20.5 metres (67.3 ft) tall, was built by Sam Hill
and dedicated in September 1921, and commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Ghent
in 1814. The monument is built on the exact United States
– Canada
boundary, between Interstate 5
and Highway 99, in the grass median
between the northbound and southbound lanes. The Peace Arch has the flags of the U.S.
and Canada
mounted on its crown, and two inscriptions on both sides of its frieze
. The inscription on the U.S. side of the Peace Arch reads "Children of a common mother", and the words on the Canadian side read "Brethren dwelling together in unity". Within the arch, each side has an iron gate
hinged on either side of the border with an inscription above reading "May these gates never be closed".
Peace Arch Park
consists of Peace Arch Provincial Park on the Canadian side and Peace Arch State Park on the American side of the border. Within the park is a major border crossing
(between Interstate 5
on the U.S. side and British Columbia Highway 99 on the Canadian side) which has never closed, symbolizing a long history of peace between the two nations. In Canada, the crossing is officially named Douglas
in honour of Sir James Douglas
, the first governor of the Colony of British Columbia
. Because of the Peace Arch monument, however, the border crossing between Surrey and Blaine is popularly known as the "Peace Arch Border Crossing", one of the busiest border crossings between Canada and the United States. It is the busiest such crossing west of Detroit
.
, banned from international travel during the Red Scare
s, performed several concerts at the site. He sang from a flatbed truck on the American side to an audience in Canada.
One book extensively covers the history of the International Peace Arch. It bears the title, "Sam Hill's Peace Arch: Remembrance of Dreams Past" by Richard Clark (2005).
On 9 February 2010, the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay visited the Peace Arch.
Monument
A monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, or simply as an example of historic architecture...
situated on the Canada – United States border between the communities of Blaine, Washington
Blaine, Washington
Blaine is a city in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. The city's northern boundary is the Canadian border. Blaine is the shared home of the Peace Arch international monument...
and Surrey
Surrey, British Columbia
Surrey is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member municipality of Metro Vancouver, the governing body of the Greater Vancouver Regional District...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. The Peace Arch, which stands
20.5 metres (67.3 ft) tall, was built by Sam Hill
Samuel Hill
Samuel Hill , usually known as Sam Hill, was a businessman, lawyer, railroad executive and advocate of good roads in the Pacific Northwest...
and dedicated in September 1921, and commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Ghent
Treaty of Ghent
The Treaty of Ghent , signed on 24 December 1814, in Ghent , was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
in 1814. The monument is built on the exact United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
– Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
boundary, between Interstate 5
Interstate 5
Interstate 5 is the main Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific Ocean coastline from Canada to Mexico . It serves some of the largest cities on the U.S...
and Highway 99, in the grass median
Central reservation
On divided roads, such as divided highways or freeways/motorways, the central reservation , median, parkway , median strip or central nature strip is the area which separates opposing lanes of traffic...
between the northbound and southbound lanes. The Peace Arch has the flags of the U.S.
Flag of the United States
The national flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows...
and Canada
Flag of Canada
The national flag of Canada, also known as the Maple Leaf, and , is a red flag with a white square in its centre, featuring a stylized 11-pointed red maple leaf. Its adoption in 1965 marked the first time a national flag had been officially adopted in Canada to replace the Union Flag...
mounted on its crown, and two inscriptions on both sides of its frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
. The inscription on the U.S. side of the Peace Arch reads "Children of a common mother", and the words on the Canadian side read "Brethren dwelling together in unity". Within the arch, each side has an iron gate
Gate
A gate is a point of entry to a space enclosed by walls, or a moderately sized opening in a fence. Gates may prevent or control entry or exit, or they may be merely decorative. Other terms for gate include yett and port...
hinged on either side of the border with an inscription above reading "May these gates never be closed".
Peace Arch Park
Peace Arch Park
Peace Arch Park is a park straddling the International Boundary between the United States and Canada at the extreme western end of the main contiguous section of the two countries' land border, where it reaches Semiahmoo Bay of Puget Sound on the continent's Pacific Coast...
consists of Peace Arch Provincial Park on the Canadian side and Peace Arch State Park on the American side of the border. Within the park is a major border crossing
Border control
Border controls are measures used by a country to monitor or regulate its borders.The control of the flow of many people, animals and goods across a border may be controlled by government Customs services. Security is enforced by various kinds of Border Guards and Coast Guards...
(between Interstate 5
Interstate 5
Interstate 5 is the main Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific Ocean coastline from Canada to Mexico . It serves some of the largest cities on the U.S...
on the U.S. side and British Columbia Highway 99 on the Canadian side) which has never closed, symbolizing a long history of peace between the two nations. In Canada, the crossing is officially named Douglas
Douglas, British Columbia
Douglas is a locality in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, just southeast and outside of the boundary of White Rock, that is the Canadian side of the Peace Arch Border Crossing between British Columbia and Whatcom County, Washington in the United States...
in honour of Sir James Douglas
James Douglas (Governor)
Sir James Douglas KCB was a company fur-trader and a British colonial governor on Vancouver Island in northwestern North America, particularly in what is now British Columbia. Douglas worked for the North West Company, and later for the Hudson's Bay Company becoming a high-ranking company officer...
, the first governor of the Colony of British Columbia
Colony of British Columbia
The Colony of British Columbia was a crown colony in British North America from 1858 until 1866. At its creation, it physically constituted approximately half the present day Canadian province of British Columbia, since it did not include the Colony of Vancouver Island, the vast and still largely...
. Because of the Peace Arch monument, however, the border crossing between Surrey and Blaine is popularly known as the "Peace Arch Border Crossing", one of the busiest border crossings between Canada and the United States. It is the busiest such crossing west of Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
.
History
The Peace Arch park has been the site of various international events and protests. In 1952, African-American singer and activist Paul RobesonPaul Robeson
Paul Leroy Robeson was an American concert singer , recording artist, actor, athlete, scholar who was an advocate for the Civil Rights Movement in the first half of the twentieth century...
, banned from international travel during the Red Scare
Red Scare
Durrell Blackwell Durrell Blackwell The term Red Scare denotes two distinct periods of strong Anti-Communism in the United States: the First Red Scare, from 1919 to 1920, and the Second Red Scare, from 1947 to 1957. The First Red Scare was about worker revolution and...
s, performed several concerts at the site. He sang from a flatbed truck on the American side to an audience in Canada.
One book extensively covers the history of the International Peace Arch. It bears the title, "Sam Hill's Peace Arch: Remembrance of Dreams Past" by Richard Clark (2005).
On 9 February 2010, the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay visited the Peace Arch.