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The Pig War LbNA #65592

Owner:Silver Eagle Supporter Verified
Plant date:Aug 13, 2013
Location:
City:Roche Harbor
County:San Juan
State:Washington
Boxes:1
Found by: Not yet found!
Last found:N/A
Status:a
Last edited:Aug 13, 2013
Terrain Difficulty: Easy (flat, 100 yards RT)
Recommended Ink: pink
Status: alive


The Pig War was a confrontation in 1859 over the boundary between the US and British North America in the San Juan Islands. In June 1846 the Treaty of Oregon had set the boundary on the 49th parallel, from the Rocky Mountains "to the middle of the channel which separates the continent from Vancouver's Island” then south through the channel to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and west to the Pacific Ocean. Difficulty arose since the "channel" described in the treaty was actually two channels: the Haro Strait, nearest Vancouver Island, and the Rosario Strait, nearer the mainland. The San Juan Islands lay between, and both sides claimed the entire island group. The crisis came on June 15, 1859, when American Lyman Cutlar shot and killed a Hudson Bay Company pig rooting in his garden. When British authorities threatened to arrest Cutlar and evict all his countrymen from the island as trespassers, the 9th U.S. Infantry under Capt. George E. Pickett was ordered to San Juan. Vancouver Island Gov. James Douglas dispatched Capt. Geoffrey Phipps Hornby, commanding the 31-gun steam frigate HMS Tribune, to dislodge Pickett. But when word of the crisis reached Washington, officials from both nations were shocked that Cutlar’s pig murder had grown into a potentially explosive international incident. President James Buchanan sent General Winfield Scott to investigate and try to contain the affair. Upon arrival he proposed a joint military occupation until a final settlement could be reached, which both nations approved in November. San Juan Island remained under joint military occupation until 1871, when Great Britain and the United States signed the Treaty of Washington and the San Juan question was referred to Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany for settlement. On October 21, 1872 he ruled in favor of the United States, establishing the boundary line through Haro Strait. Thus the San Juan Islands became American possessions and the final boundary between Canada and the United States was set. Peace had finally come to the 49th parallel, and San Juan Island would be long remembered for the "war" in which the only casualty was a pig. You can find this box near the English Camp on the Roche Harbor Trails.

Directions:
From Roche Harbor go southeast on Roche Harbor Road about 1.5 mile to intersection with West Valley Rd and park at Roche Harbor Trails on right.

Clues:
Walk on trail a few steps to jct and go left 53 steps. Go left off trail 7 steps to multi-trunk tree. Microbox is within trunks under a rock and moss.