International Peace Gardens facts for kids

Japanese Garden-International Peace Gardens

The International Peace Gardens is a special botanical garden found in Jordan Park in Salt Lake City, Utah. It's a place where people can learn about different cultures and enjoy beautiful plants.

This garden is an important part of Utah's history. It was first thought of in 1939 and officially opened in 1952. Many visitors from all over the world have come to see it. It even welcomes people from Salt Lake City's "Sister Cities." Sister Cities are like friendly partners in other countries.

A Utah citizen named Mrs. Otto (Ruey) Wiesley helped make this garden happen. She worked with the Salt Lake City Parks Superintendent, the Mayor, and the Salt Lake Council of Women. Today, the garden is still looked after by the Salt Lake Council of Women Past Presidents Council.

Each group from a different country in Utah gets a space in the garden. They create a garden that shows their homeland's culture. This includes native plants, special buildings, and statues of peace leaders. The Peace Gardens currently show the cultures of 28 different countries. It's a great place to walk around and think.

What Are the Peace Gardens For?

The Salt Lake Council of Women started this project. Their goal is to help the community and make life better for everyone in the Salt Lake area.

The gardens cover 11 acres of land. They are located in Jordan Park, right next to the Jordan River. You can find them at 9th West and 10th South in Salt Lake City. These gardens are a symbol of peace and friendship between different countries. They also share history, stories, and the cultural heritage of many lands.

The idea for the garden began in 1939. Mrs. Otto Wiesley, who was in charge of citizenship, wanted to encourage good citizenship. She also wanted to give groups from other countries a way to help make the city beautiful. This was for the big Centennial Celebration in 1947. The City Commission and Parks department liked the idea and supported it.

A Pause for World War II

The garden project had to stop before any plants were put in. This was because World War II began. But after the war, in 1947, the project started up again.

How the Gardens Are Made

Each country group gets its own garden section. They design, create, and plant their section using their own money. The City Parks Director must approve all plans before they can start building.

Once a garden is finished, it is officially opened and given to the City. After that, the City takes care of the garden forever.

The United States was the first country to have a garden here. Its section is the largest among all the countries. These include countries from the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. The second garden to be planned, planted, and opened was the Japanese garden. More gardens followed every year.

Now, there are 28 countries represented in the gardens. Other countries would like to have a garden too. But, there isn't enough space right now. Some new land has become available on the northwest side of the gardens. It is hoped that the gardens can use this land to grow even bigger in the future.

Images for kids

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  African Peace Garden, 2021

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  Canadian Peace Garden in 2021

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  Part of the park dedicated to Vietnam