In the early 1940’s uranium oxide from Port Hope was used for American nuclear research carried out under the Manhattan Project.  The research resulted in the atomic bomb test, code named ‘Trinity,’ in New Mexico followed by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. In 1985, People for Peace, planted a Japanese cherry tree and erected a small plaque along the banks of the Ganaraska River in downtown Port Hope to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the atomic attack on Hiroshima.

The plaque reads:
This Japanese cherry tree was planted on August 6th, 1985 to commemorate the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima. This symbol of new life is our gift to the people of Port Hope to affirm our mutual hope that Nuclear Power will never again be used for war.

People for Peace
Cobourg/ Port Hope

Photographs:
Japanese Cherry Tree, Rotary Park, Port Hope, 1995 and 2016

AUGUST 6, 2020
Portraits taken on the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima