PEACE ARCH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION!

Did you know?

The Portal of Peace stands astride the international boundary between Washington State and British Columbia.
Samuel Hill, president of the Washington Good Roads Association, spearheaded the fund raising efforts by citizens of both the United States and Canada to build the arch.
Automobile clubs in Washington State and British Columbia contributed time and money.
The Arch’s design was donated by H. W. Corbett of London, England, an internationally known architect.
The Portal is 67 feet high, made of concrete and reinforced steel.
The 3500 sacks of concrete used to build the Arch were donated by R. P. Butchart of Victoria, of Butchart Garden’s fame.
The 50 tons of steel for the Arch were donated by E. H. Gary of New York.
The foot walls of the Arch are built on 76 fourteen inch piles driven 25-30 feet into the earth.
The Arch was said to be one of the first structures made to be earthquake proof.
Originally, 470 electric lights were “set artistically” up and down the massive pilasters and along the interior frieze.
Blaine Mayor H.W. Hunter and lumber businessman Robert Morrison donated two spruce flagstaffs.
Originally placed in the Arch were fragments of wood from the Hudson’s Bay Company steam boat, The Beaver, and from what is said to be the Mayflower, from Old Jordans, England. These relics have since been removed and preserved for future generations.
The Arch was dedicated on September 6, 1921, the same day of the Mayflower’s voyage to Plymouth in 1620.
The parks on both sides of the border were developed with the help of school children from British Columbia and Washington State, who donated their pennies, nickels and dimes to help create a peace park around the International Peace Arch.
The park is 49 acres of international land held between the two countries. Citizens from both Canada and the United States can enjoy the entire park without the formality of clearing customs.
Administration and maintenance of this special place is shared by Washington State Parks & Recreation and the British Columbia Ministry of Parks.
Today, an average of 500,000 cars pass by the International Peace Arch each month as they travel across the international border, with an average of 1.3 million passengers who see this testament of three nations’ commitment to peace. .

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