No man's land

When we read the directions on how to get to our campsite we assumed there was a mistake. But there wasn’t. On the US/Canadian border about 15 due North of Dunseith North Dakota is the International Peace Gardens, a cooperative joint project of both the US and Canadian governments. Our instructions said that after you pass through the US border crossing (legally, you have left the US), but before you enter the Canadian border crossing (legally, you haven’t entered Canada), turn left and enter the Gardens. We were surprised to find out that in the maybe 100 yards that separates the US and Canadian border stations, there is in fact a park straddling the border. It’s the only one of its kind anywhere.

The Park is a cooperative effort of both governments, established in 1931 to celebrate over 100 years of peace and cooperation between the US and Canada. About ½ the Park lies North of the border, and the other ½ lies South. When we were Medora, the museum at Chateau de Mores had a wing dedicated to the Civilian Conservation Core and all the work it did in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, as well as the restoration of the Chateau. We learned there that the 2676 unit of the CCC that worked there also worked at the International Peace Garden, building much of the infrastructure on the US side that is still in use. This historic lodge on the US side of the Park is one such example.

It’s weird not being officially anywhere. In 1931, they were considering putting the Park at Niagara Falls. However, this border crossing won out for two reasons – 1. it’s about the center of the border between the two nations, and 2. this highway runs as far North as paved roads go in Canada, and in the US, runs to the Mexican border. When you leave the Park, if you turn right, you have to show a passport to legally enter the US. If you turn left, you have to show a passport in order to legally enter Canada. While you are in the Park, you certainly feel like you are somewhere, until Onstar announces a warning that you are approaching a border crossing – I didn’t know she even did that! But she does it a lot as we freely drive around this approximate 2,400-acre prairie wilderness park.

There are many interesting exhibits in the Park, too many to mention. We were surprised to find that there is actually a 9/11 Memorial here located on the main garden promenade that straddles the 49^th parallel the entire width of the Park. The 9/11 Memorial discusses the joint cooperative efforts of the US and Canadian governments in accepting diverted air traffic and passengers on that ill-fated day, as well as joint efforts to counter terrorism since. The Memorial is complete with twisted and charred beams from the Twin Towers.

We visited the Peace Chapel. The Chapel straddles the 49^th parallel, exactly half of it lies in Canada and exactly half lies in the US. When they began constructing the building in 1969, they soon learned it was actually illegal to build a building on top of an international border. They had to stop construction and apply for a special treaty to be signed allowing the construction of this chapel. According to the rangers at the Park, this is the only building in the world that was deliberately allowed to be built straddling an international border. As a tribute to the theme of the Gardens, the Chapel contains hundreds of quotes engraved in marble on the walls. The quotes come from famous peace leaders such as Buddha, Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln and a host of others. It’s worth a visit if you ever get to this very interesting Park.

In Dunseith we found this W’eel Turtle, allegedly the largest turtle sculpture in the world that is made entirely from automobile wheels. I guess everyone needs to be known for something! Tomorrow we begin our Caravan to Northern Manitoba to hopefully see some Polar Bears. We are not sure what kind of accommodations we will have, and whether we will have any internet connections, so if we are offline for a bit, we will return in a couple of weeks, hopefully with a few good pictures.

Talk to you soon!