Gretna Green the marriage ceremony. The blacksmiths in Gretna became known as "anvil priests", culminating with Richard Rennison, who performed 5,147 ceremonies. The local blacksmith and his anvil became lasting symbols of Gretna Green weddings. Two in particular, The Old Blacksmith's Shop, built around 1712, and Gretna Hall Blacksmith's Shop (1710) became, in popular folklore at least, the focal tourist points for the marriage trade. The Old Blacksmith's Shop opened to the public as a visitor attraction as early as 1887. Victorian chronicler Robert Smith Surtees described Gretna Green at length in his 1848 "New Monthly Magazine" serial, "The Richest Commoner in
Neche–Gretna Border Crossing replaced in 2017. Neche–Gretna Border Crossing The Neche–Gretna Border Crossing connects the cities of Neche, North Dakota and Gretna, Manitoba on the Canada–US border. It is connected by North Dakota Highway 18 on the American side and Manitoba Highway 30 on the Canadian side. Canada first established Gretna as a Port of Entry in 1883. This crossing is frequently closed due to flooding of the Pembina River, most recently in 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2017. The US border station of Neche, which was built in 1965, was replaced in 2011. The Gretna border station was built in 1981. It is