In 1931 members – also known as Rotarians – of Rotary International from Montana and Alberta organized a movement to establish an international peace park, which was to be comprised of Glacier National Park and Waterton Lakes National Park, between the United States and Canada. At an assembly of Rotarians at the Prince of Wales hotel in Waterton, the peace park plan was launched by a resolution introduced by Rev. Canon S. H. Middleton of Cardston, Alberta, and forwarded by the Great Falls, Montana, Rotary club president, H. B. Mitchell. Ultimately, the 100 Rotarians in attendance, which represented cities from Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Montana, decided in favor of this resolution. As a result, the governments of the United States and Canada were petitioned to establish the two parks as a permanent international peace park. The petition was successfully passed through the Canadian Parliament and the Congress of the United States by Brigadier General J. S. Stewart, who represented Alberta, and Scott Leavitt of Montana. In 1932, Rotarians formally dedicated the neighboring parks as the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park.

The Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park Association (WGIPPA) represents the continued role of Rotary International in its peace park initiative between the United States and Canada since the peace park project’s inception in 1931. Comprised of Rotary clubs in districts 5080, 5360, 5370, and 5390, WGIPPA holds annual meetings and other events such as the “Hands Across the Borders” ceremony. These annual gatherings and ceremonies alternate each year between Glacier Park and Waterton Park.