San Juan National Historical Park

Visited: Sept 2016
Nearby town: Friday Harbor, WA

San Juan National Historical Park (not to be confused with San Juan National Historic Site - which is an old military fort in San Juan, Puerto Rico) protects the military camps established on San Juan Island (present day Washington state) in the wake of a long forgotten conflict known as the Pig War.

Yes, you heard that right. The Pig War. Hard to believe, but back in 1859 a war almost broke out between the Americans and the British over a dead pig.

The dispute has its origins in the boundary disputes between the US and Britain over the Oregon Territory. The Oregon Treaty of 1846 settled the dispute by establishing the boundary between the US and Britain (now Canada) in the Pacific Northwest along the 49th parallel, extending all the way to the "middle of the channel" which separates the continent from Vancouver Island.

Unfortunately, there was some ambiguity in the phrase "middle of the channel", and it was unknown whether that phrase was intended to refer to the Haro Strait or to the Rosario Strait. Because of that ambiguity, both countries laid claims to the San Juan Islands - the island group in between those two straits.

The British argued that the treaty referred to the Rosairo Strait, thereby claiming that the San Juan Islands were part of their territory (present-day British Columbia, Canada). The Americans argued that the treaty referred to the Haro Strait, thereby placing the San Juan Islands in the newly formed Oregon Territory (present-day Washington state).

During this period of disputed sovereignty, the Britain's Hudson Bay Company set up a sheep ranch on San Juan Island (the largest and westernmost island of the San Juan Island chain). By the mid-1850s, about 30 Americans also settled on San Juan Island and began farming.

On June 15, 1859 an incident occurred that almost sparked an international crisis and war. An American farmer, Lyman Cutlar, found a large black pig in his garden, eating up his potatoes. Apparently, this wasn't the first time Cutlar had trouble with a pig in his garden, so he shot the pig, killing it. The pig was owned by one Charles Griffin, an Irishman and employee of the Hudson Bay Company sheep ranch. Griffin owned a number of pigs and allowed them to roam free on the island. Cutlar offered Griffin $10 as compensation for the pig. Griffin, incensed, demanded that Cutlar pay him $100. Cutlar refused and insisted that the pig had been trespassing. Apparently, Griffin took his grievance to British authorities, who threatened to arrest Cutlar for shooting the pig and for squatting on British soil. The American settlers quickly communicated with the Department of Oregon leaders, seeking military protection.

U.S. Captain George Pickett (who later would become (in)famous for leading Pickett's Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War) was sent to San Juan Island to lead the 9th Infantry Regiment. Their orders: prevent the British from landing. In response, the British sent three warships to the island under the command of Captain Geoffrey Hornby. Pickett was quoted as saying "We'll make a Bunker Hill of it" alluding to the famous encounter between the upstart colonists and the mighty British Empire at the outbreak of the American Revolution.

Pickett started to build a camp on the southern edge of the island and commenced to construct a redoubt for cannons and artillery. Meanwhile, the British Royal Marines landed on the northern coast of San Juan Island and started to fortify and establish a camp as well. The situation continued to escalate, by Aug 10, 1859 the Americans had over 460 US soldiers and 14 cannons on the island. But the British had 5 warships scouting the area, carrying over 70 guns and over 2,000 men. Apparently the Governor of Vancouver Island Colony ordered British Rear Admiral Robert L. Baynes to land on the island and engage with the American army. Baynes refused however, saying that a war between two great nations over a pig was foolish. Essentially local commanders ordered their troops to defend themselves, and absolutely do not fire the first shot.

As leaders in Washington DC and London learned about the developments in this far-flung corner of their respective countries, there was great concern that an explosive international incident would break out. U.S. President Buchanan, who had no interest in getting involved in a war with Britain just as the Civil War was seemingly about to start, immediately made diplomatic overtures to Britain to resolve the boundary disputes regarding the San Juan Islands.

As the negotiations commenced, both countries agreed to a joint military occupation of the island until the negotiations were completed, with each side reducing the amount of troops in their respective camps to about 100, and that there would be no hostilities between the two armies.

Today, the San Juan National Historical Park preserves both these camps: (1) the American Camp on the southern edge of the island and (2) the British Camp in the north.

The American Camp was our first stop. Ferries to San Juan Island leave Anacortes, WA several times throughout the day. It is a gorgeous ride and the San Juan Islands are renown for their scenic beauty. We couldn't go inside the buildings, but you can hike to your heart's content around the area to see the redoubts and the spectacular ocean vistas.

Officer's residence at the American Camp

across the Strait of San Juan de Fuca, you can see the peaks of the Olympic Mountains

During the years of joint military occupation, the British and American army units enjoyed a rather amiable social life. They would often get together for holidays and athletic competitions. No fights broke out, no shots fired, it was a rather uneventful affair. Indeed, the US was much more concerned about the ongoing Civil War, and the British had much more pressing concerns as well.

As one might expect, the British camp was a little nicer than the American ones (they seem to enjoy the finer things) 😊 with an attractive flower garden and more comfortable quarters for both officers and soldiers. Here you will find the main visitor center and museum.

The Union Jack flying over the British Camp

this building was used as a medical facility/hospital

The joint military occupation lasted for over 12 years! Finally, in 1872, both parties agreed that the dispute would be settled by arbitration, with Kaiser Wilhelm I acting as arbitrator. Wilhelm ultimately decided that the boundary between US and Britain (which had now become the Dominion of Canada) would be the Haro Strait, thus awarding the entire San Juan Island chain to the United States. Thus ended the Pig War 1859-1872; casualties: 1 black pig.

After the 1872 Treaty of Washington officially granted San Juan Islands to the United States, the British abandoned their camp, and the US Army eventually left their camp as well. The area became a part of the NPS in 1966.

This is a fun visit and is but one highlight on a trip to beautiful Friday Harbor. Be sure to explore the rest of the San Juan Islands to soak in all of the local history and scenery. For more info: https://www.nps.gov/sajh/index.htm