When a U.S. town officially declared war—on a mammal

The Potato Patch That Nearly Started a War

On June 15, 1859, American farmer Lyman Cutlar discovered a large black pig rooting through his potato garden on San Juan Island, in the disputed waters between Vancouver Island and the Washington mainland. The pig belonged to the Hudson's Bay Company employee Charles Griffin. Cutlar had chased the animal away before, but this time he shot it dead. Griffin demanded $100 compensation—roughly ten times what the pig was worth and more than Cutlar's entire claim was valued at. When Cutlar offered $10, Griffin threatened arrest under British colonial law.

Within weeks, American settlers petitioned for U.S. military protection, and Brigadier General William S. Harney dispatched Captain George Pickett with 66 soldiers and two howitzers to the island. British Rear Admiral Robert L. Baynes countered by sending three warships carrying more than 2,000 men. For several weeks that summer, 461 Americans faced a British naval force thirty times their size over a dead pig.

The Border Nobody Could Agree On

The Treaty of Oregon in 1846 had established the 49th parallel as the U.S.–Canada border but left the maritime boundary vague, stating only that it ran through "the channel which separates the continent from Vancouver's Island." The problem was that two major channels existed: Haro Strait to the west and Rosario Strait to the east. The Americans interpreted the treaty to mean Haro Strait, which would place the San Juan archipelago within U.S. territory. The British claimed Rosario Strait was the intended boundary, keeping the islands under their control.

By 1859, roughly 25 American settlers and the Hudson's Bay Company both occupied San Juan Island, the largest in the disputed chain. Both nations collected taxes and attempted to enforce their own laws on the same residents. The pig incident simply ignited tensions that had been building for over a decade.

Twelve Years of Joint Military Occupation

President James Buchanan and British officials in London recognized the absurdity of war over a pig. In October 1859, General Winfield Scott negotiated a joint military occupation agreement. Each nation would station no more than 100 soldiers on the island until diplomats could resolve the boundary question. The British established their camp on the north end at Garrison Bay, while Americans remained at the south end near Griffin Bay. For the next twelve years, British Royal Marines and American infantry coexisted peacefully, even socializing and celebrating each other's national holidays together.

Captain George Pickett, who would later gain infamy for Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg, served only briefly before reassignment. The joint occupation continued through the American Civil War without incident, demonstrating remarkable restraint on both sides.

The Kaiser's Verdict and Today's Legacy

Unable to reach agreement themselves, both nations submitted the boundary dispute to international arbitration in 1871. They chose German Emperor Kaiser Wilhelm I as arbitrator. On October 21, 1872, after reviewing maps, documents, and arguments from both sides, Wilhelm ruled in favor of the United States, designating Haro Strait as the official boundary. The San Juan Islands became American territory, and British forces withdrew peacefully the following month.

Today, San Juan Island National Historical Park preserves both the American and English camps as a monument to peaceful conflict resolution. The park receives over 200,000 visitors annually who explore the restored barracks, officers' quarters, and fortifications. A sculpture titled "The Pig War" stands near American Camp, commemorating the only casualty of this peculiar international standoff—one unfortunate pig that inadvertently tested whether two great powers could resolve their differences without bloodshed.