The Peace Arch is significant for demonstrating cooperation in commemorating over a century of peace between the two countries. The First World War delayed his efforts, but after Armistice he pursued the idea as part of his road-building schemes for the Pacific Northwest. The last hostilities between Canada and the United States ended in 1814 with the Treaty of Ghent, and Hill sought to commemorate that event with an appropriate public memorial. As a Quaker and humanitarian, Hill was an ardent advocate of peace. The Peace Arch is significant for its association with Samuel Hill, American millionaire and founder of the Washington State Good Roads Association and the Pacific Highway Association.
The Peace Arch is valued as a symbol of the peaceful co-existence of two nations and marks the western edge of the longest undefended border in the world. The Peace Arch is a monumental white-painted concrete arch located on the Canadian and American border on the 49th Parallel, between Surrey, British Columbia and Blaine, Washington.
