Pig War (1859)
Videos
The Pig War was a confrontation in 1859 between the United States and the United Kingdom over the British–U.S. border in the San Juan Islands, between Vancouver Island and the Washington Territory. Th
A photograph of Belle Vue Sheep Farm Sep 1859 on San Juan Island circa the Pig War
Modern view of Belle Vue sheep farm site and Olympic Mountains in the background
Aerial view of Robert's Redoubt on San Juan Island
The redoubt had a commanding view of San Juan Island's southern tip and the approaches to the prairie from Griffin bay (left) and the Strait of Juan de Fuca
Oregon boundary dispute
Videos
The Oregon boundary dispute or the Oregon Question was a 19th-century territorial dispute over the political division of the Pacific Northwest of North America between several nations that had competi
Ultimatum on the Oregon question, 1846 cartoon
George Canning has been appraised the most active Secretary of Foreign Affairs in maintaining the British claims of a division along the Columbia River.
Representative John Floyd was the most prominent early Congressional member in favor of extensive American claims in the Pacific Northwest.
George Simpson, manager of HBC operations in North America, reported in 1837 that the Pacific Northwest "may become an object of very great importance, and we are strengthening that claim to it ... by forming the nucleus of a colony through the establishment of farms, and the settlement of some of our retiring officers and servants as agriculturalists."