Could a dispute over a murdered pig spark an international incident lasting 12 years, you might ask, and I’m glad you did, because that is just what happened when the Americans and British once again went to battle over the summer of 1859— this time over a dead pig.
Forever known as the Pig War of 1859, a local dispute on San Juan Island involving the shooting of a trespassing swine erupted into a full-scale confrontation, exposing the much larger issue of unclear land borders in the Pacific Northwest.
Taking it to the border
The Oregon Treaty of June 15, 1846, placed the border boundary between British and American territories along the 49th parallel. The language of the treaty designated the border line as passing through the “middle of the channel” between the mainland and Vancouver Island. On paper the lines made sense, but geographically, not so much because the treaty neglected to account for the San Juan Island chain squatting directly between the two channels described in the treaty, the Harol Strait and Rosario Strait, leading both the United States and Great Britian to claim the small island chain as its own.
By the 1850s, the British had already firmly established their interests in the island chain through the Hudson’s Bay Company, which also operated the Belle Vue Sheep Farm.
Always looking to expand, American settlers also decided to set up shop on San Juan Island. The Washington Territory [document defining the borders of Washington state] asserted U.S. possession of the islands in 1853, declaring it, at that time, to be included in the Washington Territory. By spring 1859, roughly 18 Americans had spread out across land the British still thought of as Hudson Bay Company property.
Enter the pig
Murmurings over land disagreements erupted on June 15, 1859, when one wayward gluttonous pig, owned by one Mr. Charles Griffin, wandered over to American farmer Lyman Cutlar’s land and rooted through his potato patch. Clearly very proud of his potatoes, Cutlar got his gun and shot Griffin’s pig dead where it stood.
As it would turn out, Griffin just so happened to work for the Hudson Bay Company.
Truth be told, Cutlar did offer $10 in compensation to Mr. Griffin, who allegedly felt he should be compensated more in the neighborhood of $100 for his greedy swine. Given the political tension, the British threatened to charge Cutlar as a trespasser on company land, as well as evict him and all other Americans living on the San Juan Islands, causing them to turn to the United States government for support.
What followed would be a 12- year “war” during which no one died but the British did show their strongly partiality for Griffin’s pig.
Suddenly the dispute wasn’t about property damage but had instead morphed into a catalyst for more clearly defined borders.
Sending in the calvary
Wasting little time, reinforcements arrived in the form on U.S. Brigadier General William S. Harney and Captain George Pickett on July 8, 1859. Asked to intervene militarily in the situation, Harney sent Picket ashore with a small contingency of U.S. soldiers to evaluate the unfolding situation.
Pickett landed on San Juan Island July 27, 1859, with about 64 to 66 soldiers. They immediately set about creating American dominance in the area, making camp close to the Hudson’s Bay Company wharf at Griffin Bay and practically within spitting distance of the company’s Belle Vue Sheep Farm.
Correctly viewing the American camp as a direct challenge, Governor James Douglas of Vancouver Island reinforced his push for American removal. On the other hand, the British Royal Navy was in no hurry to provoke America into a full -scale war.
By August, the pig standoff was causing concern.
Seemingly always outgunned when tangling with the Brits, American forces now numbered around 400 men with artillery, in comparison to five British warships carrying over 2,000 men and stockpiles of guns.
Ultimately, cooler heads would prevail when word reached Washington, D.C. and President James Buchanan’s ears. Deeply worried that the frenemies might be headed for more intense conflict over land once again, Buchanan dispatched Lieutenant General Winfield Scott to pour water on the fire. Scott was trusted because he had proven to be a well-known negotiator during past border disputes with the Brits.
Despite fighting off old age and illness, Scott managed to re-engage British officials in negotiations, facilitating both sides movement towards a temporary settlement.
Working together
By late 1859, the two “friends” were back to playing together nicely in the sandbox, with both countries agreeing to joint military occupation of San Juan Island until British and American diplomats could iron out more concrete border terms.
This arrangement would last 12 years.
A surreal peace even developed between the militaries, with both sides joining in on nation specific holiday celebrations like the United States’ Fourth of July and Queen Victoria’s birthday. The two military contingents even joined each other for social events and competed in friendly sporting contests.
All told, no soldiers died because of the “Pig War of 1859,” and no shots were fired by either side. In the end, America dominance prevailed when Kaiser Wilhelm I ruled in favor of American control on October 21, 1872. The British packed their bags and moved out on November 24, 1872.
On October 31, 1873, San Juan Island County was formed, and the American military closed their post on July 17, 1874.
Legacy of a pig
A strange international crisis to be sure, the Pig War of 1859 highlights the dangers of undefined borders and land disputes and the benefits of promoting diplomacy to reach a bloodless resolution to conflict. Today, San Juan Island National Historical Park stands as a reminder to the conflict, preserving both the American and British military campsites, and now you know.