In her Christmas letter of December 18, 1950, Mrs. Otto Weisley shared the early vision for the Netherlands section of the International Peace Gardens. Executive Chairman Theo A. Mebius described the garden as a true reflection of the Dutch homeland, designed to greet visitors with familiar symbols of the Low Countries. At the entrance, a traditional windmill would rise prominently, immediately signaling the identity of the garden. Mebius noted that while many people associate the Netherlands with windmills, few understand their purpose. To illustrate this, the committee constructed two ponds at different water levels, representing the many Dutch canals. Just as real windmills pump water from lower to higher levels, the Peace Gardens windmill was intended to move water between the ponds, with its turning arms adding a realistic and

                               educational touch.

                               Another striking feature planned for the garden was a 15‑foot wooden shoe, or klomp, placed at the center

                               of a large flower bed. Around it, approximately 25,000 imported Dutch bulbs—tulips, hyacinths, and other

                               rare varieties—were planted. These  vast  beds  were  meant  to echo the breathtaking spring landscapes of

                               the Netherlands, where  fields  of  flowers  stretch  endlessly between The Hague and Amsterdam.  Mebius

                               hoped that visitors would  experience the  same sense  of wonder  and fragrance  that  travelers  feel  when

                               passing through  the famous  bulb districts,  where  the  art  of  cultivating flowers has been perfected over

                               centuries.

Mr. B. Van Dongen, Vice Consul of the Netherlands for Utah, offered his own reflections on the project, emphasizing the guiding motto chosen for the garden: “Pax Optima Rerum” — Peace is the Highest Achievement. He recalled being invited to help organize the Netherlands section and feeling both the weight and the promise of the task. As he considered the purpose of the Peace Gardens, he envisioned a place of beauty with the power to inspire goodwill. He expressed confidence that Dutch Americans in Utah—descendants of those whose “cradle once stood in the lowlands”—would

embrace the opportunity to contribute. Hollanders, he wrote, had always been a peace‑loving people, and

they would gladly join a project dedicated to promoting harmony among nations.

Van Dongen also celebrated the broader meaning of the International Peace Gardens: people from many

nationalities working side by side, each building a garden that reflects their homeland, yet united in a

shared purpose. When completed, he believed the Gardens would stand as a testament to the idea that

nations can work together to restore beauty and peace to the world.

Mrs. Weisley closed her letter with gratitude and admiration. She recalled visiting the Gardens on

Thanksgiving Day and seeing members of the Dutch community joyfully planting thousands of bulbs in

the cold autumn air—a colorful and heartwarming scene she said she would never forget. She praised their dedication and expressed hope that the Netherlands Garden would not only delight visitors with its beauty but also convey the “sweet influence of peace” so deeply needed in the world.