The Pig-and-Potato War
In 1859, peaceful co-existence on the Canadian border was severely tested by a marauding pig.
1859
Queen Victoria 1837-1901
In 1859, peaceful co-existence on the Canadian border was severely tested by a marauding pig.
1859
Queen Victoria 1837-1901
Even quite late in Queen Victoria’s reign, Britain and the United States of America were still carving up what had once been British colonial territory. One disputed region was San Juan Island near Vancouver, where a dead pig almost led to war.
THE Oregon Treaty of 1846 failed to make clear whether America or Britain governed the small but strategically important San Juan Island in the Gulf of Georgia, near Vancouver.* The diplomatic stand-off did not prevent American and British islanders alike living there peacefully until June 15, 1859, when Lyman Cutlar, an American farmer, shot a pig helping itself to his potatoes.
The pig’s owner, an Irishman named Charles Griffin, scorned a £10 peace-offering and further outraged the Americans by having Cutlar arrested. Within weeks, a 461-strong American force with fourteen cannon, and over two thousand British soldiers with five warships, had converged on the tiny island, waiting to see who would blink first.
Fortunately, Rear Admiral Robert Baynes flatly refused to engage the Americans over a dead pig, and US President James Buchanan poured more oil on troubled waters. Everything returned to normal, and in 1872 the island was handed over to the USA following international arbitration.
British North America subsequently became the Dominion of Canada; the San Juan Islands group now lies in the State of Washington, USA.
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
In 1859, who governed the San Juan Islands?
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Lyman Cutlar shot a pig. It belonged to Charles Griffin. It was eating Cutlar’s potatoes.