Cruisin Fever to Alaska: “The Pig War” on San Juan Is.

American Camp Historical Park

We left Friday Harbor and cruised to nearby Griffin Bay located on the southeast side of San Juan Island, where we anchored and took the dinghy ashore. We visited “American Camp National Historic Park” the site of an early American military post occupied from 1859 to 1872, during which time the British Royal Marines occupied the north end of the Island. The joint military occupation of the Island began when an American farmer, Lyman Cutlar, shot a pig belonging to the Hudson Bay Company, sparking a dispute that came to be known as “The Pig War.” The Hudson Bay Co., a British trading post, established a sheep ranch on the Island and kept other animals including pigs that roamed the Island at will. A large black pig/boar couldn’t resist Cutlar’s potato patch. As a last straw, Cutlar shot the pig that was rooting through his potatoes. The American homesteader offered the going price of ten dollars to the Company for their loss but the Hudson Bay Co. demanded a hundred dollars for their remuneration. The story became widespread and blown out of proportion. Letters about the incident were sent to political representatives resulting in both governments establishing a military presence on the island. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed and homesteaders went about their business and soldiers of both camps shared in social gatherings including dances, holiday celebrations, and sporting events. Both American and British men married Native women from the north and raised families, whose decedents are part of today’s Island population. By 1872, the British and the United States were involved in other major political decisions but were still haggling over the remote San Juan Islands. They finally agreed to the “Treaty of Washington,” which named Emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany as the ultimate decision-maker. He chose a panel of experts to review testimony and in 1872 awarded the San Juan Islands to the U.S. The town of Friday Harbor was incorporated in 1909 and is known today as the most popular destination in the San Juan Islands. We spent the night in Griffin Bay and returned to the Port of Friday Harbor to learn more about the island’s history at the San Juan Historical Museum. The Museum consists of several buildings including the 1894 James King farmhouse, carriage house, root cellar, milk house, barn, an 1891 log cabin, and the original San Juan Co. jail. We enjoyed the Museum as it provided insight into the lives of those who lived on the island during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.