On June 15, 1859, an American settler shot a pig in his garden on San Juan Island. The animal belongs to the Hudson’s Bay Company. The incident occurs in a territory whose membership is disputed by the United States and the United Kingdom.
The quarrel then overflows the vegetable garden. American soldiers were sent to the scene and British ships arrived. The National Park Service also recounts the role of officials who refuse to let the escalation lead to a battle between the two countries.
The crisis led to a joint occupation, then to an arbitration settling the border in 1872. The episode remains known as the Pig War, although the feared military clash did not take place. The animal alone does not explain the conflict: it has revealed a territorial ambiguity that humans have not yet solved.
What we know
Armed crisis defused, not murderous war unleashed for the sole price of an animal.
To go to the source
References consulted on September 21, 2026. Linked pages may be in another language.
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