Westhope–Coulter Border Crossing Explained

Westhope–Coulter Border Crossing
Country:United States
Canada
Location:
Coordinates:48.9996°N -101.018°W
Opened:1930
Blankdetailstitle1:Hours
Blankdetails1:8:00 AM–4:00 PM
Website:US Canadian

The Westhope–Coulter Border Crossing connects the towns of Westhope, North Dakota and Melita, Manitoba on the Canada–United States border. U.S. Route 83 on the American side joins Manitoba Highway 83 on the Canadian side.

Canadian side

The initial inspection station was established at Melita about 32km (20miles) north of the present crossing. A.M. Reekie was the inaugural customs officer 1900–1916. Under the administrative oversight of the Port of Brandon, the office handled goods received by road. Inconveniently located and vulnerable to smuggling, the office moved to the border in 1930, adopting the name of Coulter, the nearest post office. That year, a combined residence/office was erected.[1]

The building was replaced in 1947, then in 2014.[2]

In 2020, the former border hours of 8am–9pm reduced, becoming 8am–4pm.[3]

US side

The US first built a permanent inspection station at the border in 1937. That brick veneer roadside border station was replaced by a new building in the 1974,[4] which in turn was replaced by a large modern border station in 2011.[5]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Legg, Herbert . 166 . Customs Services in Western Canada, 1867–1925 . The Creston Review Ltd . 1962.
  2. Web site: Brandon Sun . 19 Aug 2014 . www.library.ctvnews.ca.
  3. Web site: CBC News . 15 Apr 2020 . www.library.ctvnews.ca.
  4. Web site: 30-Day Review of Spending by U.S. Customs and Border Protection under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for Construction of Land Ports of Entry . 17 . 23 Oct 2009 . www.dhs.gov.
  5. Web site: CBP: New Recovery Act-Funded Land Ports of Entry Open at Sherwood and Westhope, ND . 26 Jul 2011 . www.cbp.gov.