Pig shooting in 1859 sparked 12-year US-Britain standoff
On 15 June 1859, American settler Lyman Cutlar shot a pig belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company on San Juan Island, escalating a territorial dispute between Britain and the United States.
The 1846 Oregon Treaty left the boundary unclear, as both the Haro Strait and Rosario Strait could be interpreted as the intended channel, leaving the San Juan Islands claimed by both nations.
The Hudson's Bay Company established Belle Vue Sheep Farm on San Juan Island in 1853, while American settlers arrived later, creating conflicting land claims.
The Pig War lasted 12 years with rival camps on the island but no open conflict, eventually resolved through diplomacy and arbitration.
The incident turned a local farm dispute into a military standoff involving British warships and American soldiers.
