| Peace Arch State Park is a 20-acre day-use park commemorating treaties and agreements that arose from the war of 1812. The park celebrates the unguarded United States/Canadian border that stretches from the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia. The park features horticultural exhibitions and the giant, commemorative, concrete arch that straddles the border of the two nations. The countries co-maintain the monument. Recreation within the park includes the annual US/Canadian "Peace Arch" Day, horticultural displays, interpretation, picnicking, and miscellaneous city sponsored recreational programs. There are 20 sheltered and 80 unsheltered picnic tables at the park, available first-come, first-served. Peace Arch does not have a launch but there is one located in Drayton Harbor within walking distance of the park. The 67-foot Peace Arch is jointly maintained by the United States and Canada. The concrete structure was the inspiration of Sam Hill, railroad builder and industrialist. Construction (begun in 1920) completed Sept. 6, 1921. The Arch commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Ghent in 1814 and the Rush-Bagot Agreement in 1817. Entered into by the king of England and President Monroe, these treaties provided for an unguarded United States/Canadian border from the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the Bay of Funday. Both treaties resulted from the War of 1812 with Great Britain. |
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