The boundary between the U.S. and Canada is far more than a line on a
map or a demarcation on the ground. In a broad sense, it represents the
aspirations, successes, frustrations, failures, and compromises of the
two largest countries on the North American continent. Behind this
unfortified boundary lie the negotiations, surveys, and intrigue leading
to the final establishment of this international border that had its
beginnings in the eighteenth century.