International Peace Garden

The International Peace Garden straddles the Canada-US border between the towns of Boissevain, Manitoba, and Dunseith, North Dakota. It began as a dream of Dr. Henry J. Moore of Islington, Ontario, Canada. Dr. Moore, the lecturing horticulturist for the Ontario Department of Agriculture, was on his way home from the 1928 annual meeting of the National Association of Gardeners, a U.S. organization, when he conceived the idea of a botanical garden commemorating the long and peaceful coexistence of the people of Canada and the United States.

Dr. Moore presented the idea of an “International Peace Garden” at the association’s 1929 annual meeting in Toronto – the first time the session had been held outside the United States. The proposal was approved, an international committee was formed, and the search began for an appropriate site for the garden. Dr. Moore and Joseph Dunlop, of South Euclid, Ohio, came to the Turtle Mountains at the invitation of the International Peace Picnic Association – a group formed, in part, to promote the area as the location for the International Peace Garden. Moore and Dunlop liked what they saw.

Moore said after an airplane trip over the area: “What a sight greeted the eye! Those undulating hills rising out of the limitless prairies are filled with lakes and streams. On the south of the unrecognizable boundary, wheat fields everywhere; and on the north, the Manitoba Forest Preserve. What a place for a garden!”

The International Peace Garden was dedicated on July 14, 1932. A crowd estimated as high as 70,000 people from Canada and the US were in attendance. The Cairn, located between the two flag poles, was built in 1932 for the dedication of the park.

The focus of this page is the natural flora and fauna of the park, which is an official wildlife refuge and wildlife viewing area where visitors can count the birds and spot deer, moose, and other animals in their natural habitat. However, some information on the garden aspect is also given here, but the taxonomy of these plants is not included.

More than 150,000 flowers are planted each summer in brilliant and ever changing displays. The Floral Clock, located near the entry gate, is a unique working time piece that features a different floral display each year. The Bulova Floral Clock is an exact replica of the one in Switzerland. In the fall of 1966, Bulova Watch Company presented the International Peace Garden with this eighteen-foot, working floral clock. Each year, hundreds of colorful plants cover the face with a different floral design.

The formal garden area combines flowers, water, fountains, trees, and shrubs to create a tribute to peace. Each year, the floral bed designs change. In the center of the park lays the sunken water garden. Other features of the garden are the Peace Tower, the Carillon Bell Tower, public camping, youth camps, trails, picnicking, and music events.

We would like to thank John McQueen, Executive Director of the International Peace Garden, for the assistance which he gave in providing information for this page.

• Common Name (Order Family Genus species)

Native Trees

• Alder (Fagales Betulaceae Alnus ?)
• Ash, Black (Gentianales Oleaceae Fraxinus nigra)
• Ash, Green (Gentianales Oleaceae Fraxinus pennsylvanica)
• Aspen, Trembling (Salicales Salicaceae Populus tremuloides)
• Birch, Paper (Fagales Betulaceae Betula papyrifera)
• Cherry, Wild (Rosales Rosaceae Prunus avium)
• Cottonwood (Salicales Salicaceae Populus deltoides)
• Elm, American (Urticales Ulmaceae Ulmus americana)
• Elm, White (Urticales Ulmaceae Ulmus americana)
• Oak, Burr (Fagales Fagaceae Quercus macrocarpa)
• Poplar, Balsam (Salicales Salicaceae Populus balsamifera)
• Poplar, Black (Salicales Salicaceae Populus nigra)
• Poplar, White (Salicales Salicaceae Populus alba)
• Raspberry, Wild (Rosales Rosaceae Rubus rosifolius)
• Rose, Wild (Rosales Rosaceae Rosa acicularis)
• Willow (Salicales Salicaceae Salix sp.)

Planted Trees

• Maple, Amur (Sapindales Aceraceae Acer ginnala)
• Maple, Sugar (Sapindales Aceraceae Acer saccharum)
• Pine, Red (Coniferales Pinaceae Pinus resinosa)
• Pine, Scotch (Coniferales Pinaceae Pinus sylvestris)
• Pine, White (Coniferales Pinaceae Pinus strobus)
• Spruce, Blue (Coniferales Pinaceae Picea pungens)
• Spruce, White (Coniferales Pinaceae Picea glauca)

• Common Name (Order Family [Subfamily] Genus species)

Birds

• Cormorant, Double-crested (Pelecaniformes Phalacrocoracidae Phalacrocorax auritus)
• Crow, American (Passeriformes Corvidae Corvus brachyrhynchos)
• Duck (Various species)
• Goose, Canada (Anseriformes Anatidae [Anserinae] Branta canadensis)
• Hawk (Various species)
• Hummingbird, Ruby-throated (Apodiformes Trochilidae Archilochus colubris)
• Magpie (Passeriformes Corvidae Pica pica)
• Mallard (Anseriformes Anatidae [Anatinae] Anas platyrhynchos)
• Pelican, American White (Pelecaniformes Pelecanidae Pelecanus erythrorhyncos)
• Raven, Common (Passeriformes Corvidae Corvus corax)
• Turkey, Wild (Galliformes Meleagrididae Meleagris gallopavo)
• Other, Unnamed (Various species)

Mammals

• Bear, Black (Carnivora Ursidae Ursus americanus)
• Beaver (Rodentia Castoridae Castor canadensis)
• Chipmunk (Rodentia Sciuridae Eutamias sp.)
• Coyote (Carnivora Canidae Canis latrans)
• Deer, White-tail (Artiodactyla Cervidae Odocoilus virginianus)
• Moose (Artiodactyla Cervidae Alces alces)
• Muskrat (Rodentia Muridae Ondatra zibethicus)
• Porcupine (Rodentia Erithyzontidae Erithizon dorsatum)
• Raccoon (Carnivora Procyonidae Procyon lotor)
• Skunk (Carnivora Mustelidae [Mephitinae] Mephitis mephitis)
• Squirrel (Rodentia Sciuridae sp.)
• Woodchuck (Rodentia Sciuridae Marmota monax)

(This site was updated in December 2012.)