1 00:00:02,440 --> 00:00:06,320 Speaker 1: Happy Saturday. In our episode on Henry Martin Robert, we 2 00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:09,920 Speaker 1: talked about his building a redoubt that's a sort of 3 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:14,280 Speaker 1: temporary usually fortification for the US Army during the Pig War. 4 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:17,520 Speaker 1: So today's classic is our episode on the Pig War, 5 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:19,960 Speaker 1: which came out all the way back almost ten years 6 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:23,520 Speaker 1: ago on April ninth, twenty fourteen. We have a couple 7 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:26,560 Speaker 1: of corrections for this one. San Juan Island is not 8 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:29,360 Speaker 1: the largest island in the San Juan Islands, it is 9 00:00:29,360 --> 00:00:33,640 Speaker 1: the second largest. Also, nobody went through the Panama Canal 10 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:36,239 Speaker 1: in this episode, since that was not Billy yet they 11 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:39,879 Speaker 1: crossed Panama over land. Those are the only mistakes I 12 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:42,919 Speaker 1: remember from ten years ago. One can hope there were 13 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:50,400 Speaker 1: not others. Enjoy Welcome to Stuff you missed in History Class, 14 00:00:50,640 --> 00:01:00,840 Speaker 1: a production of iHeartRadio. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 15 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:03,639 Speaker 1: I'm Tracy B. Wilson and I'm Holly Frye, and so 16 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:06,880 Speaker 1: you it's funny to be. I wrote this little outline 17 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:08,960 Speaker 1: with an introduction that begins. If you grew up in 18 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:13,120 Speaker 1: the Pacific Northwest, or maybe in Vancouver, or especially in 19 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:16,759 Speaker 1: the islands between them, you may have already heard about 20 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 1: the story we're going to talk about today, which is 21 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:22,120 Speaker 1: the pig warm If you have tuned in thinking this 22 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:24,800 Speaker 1: is about the Bay of Pigs invasion, I'm sorry, We're 23 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:29,000 Speaker 1: talking about something else. However, you did grow up in 24 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:31,880 Speaker 1: that area and it was a new story to you. Yeah, 25 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:34,160 Speaker 1: I mean I didn't do all of my growing up there. 26 00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:37,199 Speaker 1: I moved from there when I was a little over nine, 27 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:41,319 Speaker 1: but I still have siblings there and have gone back 28 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:44,000 Speaker 1: there several times. And I had never heard of it. Yeah, 29 00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:49,440 Speaker 1: and right in that area like Tacoma and pwoll Up, 30 00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:53,640 Speaker 1: which is right outside Seattle, so I should have heard 31 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:55,680 Speaker 1: of it, but I never had. Well, I may have 32 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:58,040 Speaker 1: been too young when I left. I missed that chunk. Well. 33 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:01,640 Speaker 1: This was recommended as a subject listener, Katie, and it 34 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:05,080 Speaker 1: is basically a story of how in eighteen fifty nine 35 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:08,680 Speaker 1: the United States and Britain very nearly went to war 36 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:11,480 Speaker 1: over an issue that seems more likely to start a 37 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:14,880 Speaker 1: feud between Hatfield's and McCoy's, which is that an American 38 00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:18,160 Speaker 1: settler shot a Canadian pig that was rooting around in 39 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:22,959 Speaker 1: his garden. Doesn't that sound silly? Yes? And I can 40 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:28,720 Speaker 1: also see how that would escalate in a hatfield in McCoy. Yeah. Yes, 41 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:31,040 Speaker 1: so that is what we are going to talk about today. 42 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:35,360 Speaker 1: Of course, people had been living on what is now 43 00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:39,880 Speaker 1: known as San Juan Island between the mainland of Washington 44 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:44,080 Speaker 1: and the island of Vancouver for thousands of years before 45 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:49,080 Speaker 1: European explorers started pushing into the Pacific Northwest. So during 46 00:02:49,120 --> 00:02:54,040 Speaker 1: this sort of European exploration phase, Spain was the first 47 00:02:54,639 --> 00:02:58,919 Speaker 1: country to claim and rename this island, when Francisco Eliza 48 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:03,880 Speaker 1: dubbed it Ela the Archipelago de San Juan. Its location 49 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:06,400 Speaker 1: in fertile soil made it a really attractive spot for 50 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:09,160 Speaker 1: the Spanish as well as the British and the Americans, 51 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:13,480 Speaker 1: although Spain eventually withdrew from the area. In eighteen eighteen, 52 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:17,240 Speaker 1: the United States and Britain signed the Anglo American Convention, 53 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:21,480 Speaker 1: which reinforced England's control over the eastern half of Canada 54 00:03:21,919 --> 00:03:25,040 Speaker 1: while allowing both nations to operate what was then called 55 00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:30,000 Speaker 1: Oregon Country jointly. Citizens of both nations would be allowed 56 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:32,240 Speaker 1: to live in this area, and the agreement would be 57 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:35,360 Speaker 1: renewed every decade unless one nation or the other could 58 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:38,160 Speaker 1: conclude that it had settled the region. Yeah, so it 59 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:42,120 Speaker 1: was basically if some person or country eventually had the 60 00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:45,360 Speaker 1: most guys in there. It reminds me of like a 61 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 1: board gate where I I have thirty miniatures in here, 62 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:55,280 Speaker 1: so it's mine now. So for the first several decades, 63 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 1: both sides were kind of thinking that it was unlikely 64 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:00,920 Speaker 1: that this thing was going to be renewed. American settlers 65 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 1: and prospectors thought they clearly had the advantage, and at 66 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:07,160 Speaker 1: the same time, so did English merchants and trappers. Just 67 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:10,360 Speaker 1: probably an indication that it was pretty evenly divided for 68 00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:13,240 Speaker 1: a while, yes, But eventually the tide did start to 69 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:17,360 Speaker 1: shift and the American population in Oregon Country skyrocketed between 70 00:04:17,400 --> 00:04:20,840 Speaker 1: eighteen forty and eighteen forty five. And around this same time, 71 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:24,719 Speaker 1: fur trading started to dwindle as the region suffered from overtrapping, 72 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:28,760 Speaker 1: and this made it less attractive to England, and England 73 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:32,160 Speaker 1: was less motivated to maintain its boundaries, whereas the US 74 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:34,440 Speaker 1: was still quite eager for the land. So in eighteen 75 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:37,600 Speaker 1: forty six, the US and Great Britain signed the Treaty 76 00:04:37,600 --> 00:04:40,719 Speaker 1: of Oregon. This is the treaty that set the border 77 00:04:40,760 --> 00:04:44,000 Speaker 1: between the United States and Canada at the forty ninth parallel, 78 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:48,159 Speaker 1: So that really long straight portion it looked straight on 79 00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:50,640 Speaker 1: a map, you're actually trying to walk down it. It 80 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:53,880 Speaker 1: is not remotely straight because it was delineated by people 81 00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:58,400 Speaker 1: on the ground with kind of primitive instruments. But this 82 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:01,800 Speaker 1: long stretch of border that is north of what's now 83 00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:06,760 Speaker 1: North Dakota, Montana and Washington, and south of Alberta, Saskatchewan 84 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:11,159 Speaker 1: and Manitoba, and it seems pretty self explanatory until you 85 00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:13,839 Speaker 1: get to the western end of the border. The treaty 86 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:17,279 Speaker 1: went on to say, it quote shall be continued westward 87 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:20,599 Speaker 1: along the forty ninth parallel of north Latitude to the 88 00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:24,320 Speaker 1: middle of the Channel, which separates the continent from Vancouver's Island, 89 00:05:24,760 --> 00:05:27,760 Speaker 1: and then southerly through the middle of the said channel 90 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:31,920 Speaker 1: and of Fucus Straits to the Pacific Ocean. The problem 91 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:35,320 Speaker 1: was that this channel was really two large straits and 92 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:39,080 Speaker 1: a lot of other smaller waterways. The Harrow Strait lay 93 00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:42,480 Speaker 1: next to Vancouver Island and the Rosario Strait lay next 94 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:45,000 Speaker 1: to the mainland in what is now Washington, and in 95 00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:49,120 Speaker 1: between were the San Juan Islands, which became disputed territory 96 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:52,479 Speaker 1: with both the United States and Canada. Basically saying that 97 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:56,400 Speaker 1: is mine. The largest island, the one known as San 98 00:05:56,480 --> 00:05:58,760 Speaker 1: Juan Island, was the one that was in most demand. 99 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:03,240 Speaker 1: Made an official claim to the islands in eighteen fifty 100 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:06,560 Speaker 1: three by including it with the creation of Washington Territory. 101 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:09,800 Speaker 1: The Hudson's Bay Company, which had been operating on the 102 00:06:09,839 --> 00:06:13,800 Speaker 1: island since at least eighteen forty five, responded by building 103 00:06:13,839 --> 00:06:17,000 Speaker 1: a sheep farm on the southern shore that September, which 104 00:06:17,080 --> 00:06:20,560 Speaker 1: quickly started to flourish. A man named Charles Griffin was 105 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:23,680 Speaker 1: sent to run it, and he named it Bellevue. For 106 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:26,040 Speaker 1: a while, it was just Griffin and his staff and 107 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:28,240 Speaker 1: their sheep that were all living on this fifty five 108 00:06:28,279 --> 00:06:31,400 Speaker 1: square mile island. This doesn't sound like a huge population, 109 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:33,400 Speaker 1: but it was a pretty large sheep farm. There were 110 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:37,039 Speaker 1: like almost five thousand sheep. But the sheep did not 111 00:06:37,120 --> 00:06:42,160 Speaker 1: count as humans. Now they did not, there's no equivalency. 112 00:06:43,400 --> 00:06:46,240 Speaker 1: So the land on San Juan Island was very rich 113 00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:50,760 Speaker 1: and productive, and it became a prime location for American settlers, 114 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:54,240 Speaker 1: especially after gold rushes in the area kind of drew 115 00:06:54,279 --> 00:06:57,359 Speaker 1: people out there, and then you know, they would fail 116 00:06:57,440 --> 00:06:59,560 Speaker 1: and people would live for something else to do, like 117 00:06:59,560 --> 00:07:03,480 Speaker 1: starting a farm. So soon Americans coming into the region 118 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:06,760 Speaker 1: were staking claims in what had been the Hudson's Bay 119 00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:11,320 Speaker 1: Company's grazing land. So the British government viewed all these 120 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:15,400 Speaker 1: American incomers as squatters, and tensions between the British and 121 00:07:15,440 --> 00:07:19,480 Speaker 1: the Americans actually living there ran pretty high, so case 122 00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:23,280 Speaker 1: in point, in eighteen fifty four, a US customs collector 123 00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:26,320 Speaker 1: showed up on the island and tried to collect duties 124 00:07:26,400 --> 00:07:29,880 Speaker 1: from Griffin's farm manager, and the farm manager swore out 125 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:32,800 Speaker 1: a warrant for the custom collector's arrest for trespassing on 126 00:07:32,840 --> 00:07:36,160 Speaker 1: British soil. Then, in March of eighteen fifty five, a 127 00:07:36,280 --> 00:07:39,280 Speaker 1: sheriff from the Washington Mainland brought his posse over the 128 00:07:39,320 --> 00:07:41,600 Speaker 1: channel in the middle of the night and confiscated thirty 129 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:44,040 Speaker 1: five of Griffin's sheep, claiming that they were going to 130 00:07:44,080 --> 00:07:48,200 Speaker 1: be sold to pay back taxes. Hudson's Bay Company later 131 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:54,320 Speaker 1: demanded fifteen thousand dollars in damages. This also led Vancouver's governor, 132 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:57,560 Speaker 1: James Douglas to write to Isaac L. Stevens, who was 133 00:07:57,600 --> 00:08:02,040 Speaker 1: his counterpartner of Washington, to complain about it. The name 134 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:04,520 Speaker 1: Isaac L. Stevens may ring a bell. If you remember 135 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:07,280 Speaker 1: our Chief Seattle episode, he plays a role in that also. 136 00:08:07,880 --> 00:08:11,160 Speaker 1: And this whole thing was raising enough eyebrows in Washington, 137 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:14,640 Speaker 1: d C. That Secretary of State William L. Macy also 138 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:18,920 Speaker 1: wrote to Governor Stevens basically saying, hey, please play nice, guys. 139 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:21,680 Speaker 1: He also asked for the British government to do the 140 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:26,320 Speaker 1: same with Governor Douglas, and they did. Sadly, this did 141 00:08:26,360 --> 00:08:29,800 Speaker 1: not really help diffuse anything. And before we go into 142 00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:32,079 Speaker 1: detail on why, let's take a moment and talk about 143 00:08:32,080 --> 00:08:44,120 Speaker 1: a word from our sponsor. So let's get back to 144 00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:49,760 Speaker 1: where things got simultaneously escalated and a little silly American 145 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:54,280 Speaker 1: Lyman Cutler was part of the American influx of settlers 146 00:08:54,320 --> 00:08:57,920 Speaker 1: onto San Juan Island. He was a failed gold prospector 147 00:08:57,920 --> 00:09:00,480 Speaker 1: who built a little cabin and planted a potato patch 148 00:09:00,720 --> 00:09:04,920 Speaker 1: right by the Hudson's Bay Company's sheep run. He later 149 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:08,319 Speaker 1: claimed that Governor Stevens himself had told him that the 150 00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:12,160 Speaker 1: land belonged to America, and so Cutler was claiming one 151 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:15,400 Speaker 1: hundred and sixty acres under the Donation Land Claim Act 152 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:19,800 Speaker 1: of eighteen fifty. So like the Homestead Act later did 153 00:09:19,880 --> 00:09:23,560 Speaker 1: in the Midwest. The Donation Land Claim Act allowed citizens 154 00:09:23,679 --> 00:09:25,560 Speaker 1: over the age of twenty one to claim a bunch 155 00:09:25,600 --> 00:09:29,040 Speaker 1: of land for free if they met certain residency and 156 00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:35,400 Speaker 1: improvement conditions. Number one, disputed land was not up for 157 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:38,839 Speaker 1: grabs under this act, and number two the Land Claim 158 00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:42,520 Speaker 1: Act expired in eighteen fifty five before Cutler even got there. 159 00:09:43,320 --> 00:09:47,800 Speaker 1: And then number three possibly a lesser but definitely a 160 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:51,520 Speaker 1: critical point. His improvements were really not so great. His 161 00:09:51,559 --> 00:09:54,880 Speaker 1: potato patch was only fenced on three sides, and that 162 00:09:54,960 --> 00:09:57,880 Speaker 1: allowed animals to trot right in and plunder his crop. 163 00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:01,960 Speaker 1: One of these invading animals was a bore belonging to 164 00:10:02,040 --> 00:10:06,400 Speaker 1: Charles Griffin of Bellevue Sheep Farm fame. Cutler claimed that 165 00:10:06,480 --> 00:10:08,600 Speaker 1: he woke up one morning to the sound of laughter 166 00:10:08,679 --> 00:10:11,480 Speaker 1: outside of his window. This was on June fifteenth, eighteen 167 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:14,680 Speaker 1: fifty nine. He looked outside to see one of Griffin's 168 00:10:14,679 --> 00:10:17,839 Speaker 1: men laughing at a pig rooting through his potato patch, 169 00:10:18,040 --> 00:10:22,400 Speaker 1: so Cutler went outside and shot it. This would not 170 00:10:22,480 --> 00:10:25,480 Speaker 1: have been newsworthy if Cutler had not been American, and 171 00:10:25,520 --> 00:10:28,600 Speaker 1: if the pig had not effectively been the property of 172 00:10:28,640 --> 00:10:31,160 Speaker 1: the Hudson's Bay Company. Which was a trading company that 173 00:10:31,280 --> 00:10:35,120 Speaker 1: ran much of the show in Canada. At first, the 174 00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:38,079 Speaker 1: two men did try to work it out between themselves. 175 00:10:38,600 --> 00:10:42,520 Speaker 1: Cutler offered to replace the pig, or to get estimates 176 00:10:42,559 --> 00:10:44,600 Speaker 1: from three men about how much the pig was worth, 177 00:10:44,679 --> 00:10:47,520 Speaker 1: and then used that information to figure out how much 178 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:52,480 Speaker 1: money to repay Griffin for it. Griffin, on the other hand, 179 00:10:52,520 --> 00:10:55,400 Speaker 1: demanded one hundred dollars, saying that the pig was a 180 00:10:55,480 --> 00:10:59,679 Speaker 1: prized breeder, and Cutler said, quote, better chance for lightning 181 00:10:59,720 --> 00:11:01,800 Speaker 1: to strike you then for you to get one hundred 182 00:11:01,840 --> 00:11:04,760 Speaker 1: dollars for that hog, And then he stormed away in 183 00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:10,600 Speaker 1: a huff. Yeah, all was fun. When things escalate, oh 184 00:11:10,640 --> 00:11:13,040 Speaker 1: and become insulting, it's gonna be so much more escalation. 185 00:11:13,960 --> 00:11:16,720 Speaker 1: Griffin took this matter to his bosses at the Hudson's 186 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:19,480 Speaker 1: Bay Company, who went to Cutler's cabin to try to 187 00:11:19,480 --> 00:11:23,120 Speaker 1: get restitution, and of course Cutler refused to pay. It 188 00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:26,080 Speaker 1: is possible that the Hudson's Bay Company men also tried 189 00:11:26,080 --> 00:11:29,600 Speaker 1: to have Cutler arrested, but if they did, it never 190 00:11:29,640 --> 00:11:32,320 Speaker 1: came to fruition because he refused to go with the 191 00:11:32,360 --> 00:11:34,200 Speaker 1: people who came to arrest it. Yeah, the records are 192 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:36,960 Speaker 1: a little unclear on that. Some sources say one thing, 193 00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:39,880 Speaker 1: and some sources it may have been attempted, maybe said 194 00:11:39,880 --> 00:11:45,720 Speaker 1: it never actually happened. So that July, Brigadier General William S. 195 00:11:45,800 --> 00:11:49,319 Speaker 1: Harney toured the area and he noticed an American flag 196 00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:51,640 Speaker 1: that Cutler and his friends had started flying for the 197 00:11:51,640 --> 00:11:54,679 Speaker 1: Fourth of July holiday. He asked them about it, and 198 00:11:54,720 --> 00:11:58,439 Speaker 1: they launched into this list of complaints about how vulnerable 199 00:11:58,480 --> 00:12:02,280 Speaker 1: they were both to attack by Native Americans and to 200 00:12:02,440 --> 00:12:06,560 Speaker 1: mistreatment by the British, and they cited the pig incident 201 00:12:06,679 --> 00:12:11,000 Speaker 1: in this process. Harney was staunchly anti British. He had 202 00:12:11,040 --> 00:12:12,520 Speaker 1: a little bit of a temper, He was very quick 203 00:12:12,559 --> 00:12:15,920 Speaker 1: to anger, and he had a very foul mouth. By 204 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:18,520 Speaker 1: the end of his military career, he had been court 205 00:12:18,520 --> 00:12:22,040 Speaker 1: martialed four times. And even though he had just been 206 00:12:22,080 --> 00:12:24,600 Speaker 1: to Vancouver to thank Governor Douglas for what a good 207 00:12:24,679 --> 00:12:28,560 Speaker 1: job he'd been doing protecting the Americans from Native American attacks, 208 00:12:28,920 --> 00:12:32,040 Speaker 1: he decided now would be a good time to show 209 00:12:32,040 --> 00:12:36,839 Speaker 1: some force. He characterized the Hudson's Bay Company's behavior as 210 00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:42,600 Speaker 1: quote oppressive interference, and without consulting his command or the 211 00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:46,480 Speaker 1: War Department, he sent in Company d ninth US Infantry 212 00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:50,760 Speaker 1: under Captain George E. Pickett. The sixty six men arrived 213 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:54,520 Speaker 1: on the USS Massachusetts and they camped right by the 214 00:12:54,559 --> 00:12:58,120 Speaker 1: Hudson's Bay Company's wharf and the sheep farm, which you know, 215 00:12:58,600 --> 00:13:02,640 Speaker 1: doesn't seem like they're provoking things at all. Harning did 216 00:13:02,679 --> 00:13:05,960 Speaker 1: eventually tell the War Department what he was doing, but 217 00:13:06,040 --> 00:13:08,680 Speaker 1: he didn't send this letter until the July until July 218 00:13:08,760 --> 00:13:11,400 Speaker 1: the nineteenth, and it didn't actually get there until September. 219 00:13:11,960 --> 00:13:13,600 Speaker 1: So for a long time he was just doing what 220 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:18,360 Speaker 1: he wanted, with no en being posturing, yeah taunting people. 221 00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:21,840 Speaker 1: Although Pickett's orders were to protect against Native Americans and 222 00:13:21,880 --> 00:13:26,280 Speaker 1: the British, he posted a notice claiming that the camp 223 00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:29,720 Speaker 1: was American property and subject only to US laws and courts, 224 00:13:29,960 --> 00:13:32,000 Speaker 1: and that he, in fact was in command of it. 225 00:13:32,640 --> 00:13:35,840 Speaker 1: Governor Douglas, having none of that and believing that Britain 226 00:13:35,880 --> 00:13:39,600 Speaker 1: had lost Oregon by just being too welcoming, responded by 227 00:13:39,640 --> 00:13:42,480 Speaker 1: sending in the twenty one gun HMS Satellite, which was 228 00:13:42,559 --> 00:13:45,520 Speaker 1: joined by the thirty one gun Frigate HMS Tribune under 229 00:13:45,559 --> 00:13:49,200 Speaker 1: the command of Captain Jeffrey Phipps Hornby of the Royal Navy, 230 00:13:49,600 --> 00:13:53,360 Speaker 1: and another warship also came to anchor, so there were 231 00:13:53,400 --> 00:13:57,880 Speaker 1: three warships now off the coast of this island. He 232 00:13:57,960 --> 00:14:01,280 Speaker 1: also appointed a Justice of the Peace to enforce British law, 233 00:14:01,320 --> 00:14:03,920 Speaker 1: which he claimed was the only law and effect on 234 00:14:03,960 --> 00:14:08,680 Speaker 1: the island. So, in spite of now facing down three warships, 235 00:14:08,720 --> 00:14:12,240 Speaker 1: one of which carried forty six Royal Marines, Pickett refused 236 00:14:12,280 --> 00:14:16,679 Speaker 1: to withdraw or stand down. He was publicly boastful, allegedly 237 00:14:16,760 --> 00:14:19,200 Speaker 1: saying things like he would make a bunker hill of 238 00:14:19,240 --> 00:14:22,200 Speaker 1: it if pressed. Although at the time he sent worried 239 00:14:22,280 --> 00:14:26,760 Speaker 1: sounding dispatches asking for more reinforcements and he appointed his 240 00:14:26,800 --> 00:14:30,640 Speaker 1: own Justice of the Peace, Harney kept funneling more troops 241 00:14:30,640 --> 00:14:34,520 Speaker 1: into the area. Pickett was eventually reinforced by one hundred 242 00:14:34,520 --> 00:14:38,400 Speaker 1: and seventy one men under Lieutenant Colonel Silas Casey, and 243 00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:41,359 Speaker 1: together they all went to Victoria to try to negotiate 244 00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:45,200 Speaker 1: with Rear Admiral R. Lambert Baines, who was commanding the 245 00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:49,600 Speaker 1: British forces in the East Pacific. Baines, on the other hand, 246 00:14:49,680 --> 00:14:52,600 Speaker 1: was aboard the eighty four gun HMS Ganges, which he 247 00:14:52,680 --> 00:14:56,520 Speaker 1: refused to leave for negotiations. Believing this entire thing to 248 00:14:56,520 --> 00:15:00,000 Speaker 1: be ridiculous and beneath the involvement of quote two great names, 249 00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:03,320 Speaker 1: Casey realized it was going to be pretty fruitless to 250 00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:06,080 Speaker 1: go up against that kind of firepower, so he and 251 00:15:06,120 --> 00:15:09,080 Speaker 1: everyone else went back to San Juan Island to ask 252 00:15:09,160 --> 00:15:13,200 Speaker 1: for more reinforcements. By the end of August, so keep 253 00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:15,760 Speaker 1: in mind, there's a letter out there somewhere floating around 254 00:15:15,800 --> 00:15:20,040 Speaker 1: that hasn't reached the appropriate people yet. Yep, the American 255 00:15:20,080 --> 00:15:22,760 Speaker 1: forces on San Juan Island had swelled to about four 256 00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:26,200 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty men who had armed themselves with fourteen 257 00:15:26,240 --> 00:15:30,000 Speaker 1: field cannons in an additional eight thirty two pound guns 258 00:15:30,400 --> 00:15:34,760 Speaker 1: collected from the USS Massachusetts. The US troops reinforced their 259 00:15:34,760 --> 00:15:37,920 Speaker 1: fortifications while the British Navy carried out drills along the 260 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:41,400 Speaker 1: coast with about two thousand fighting men ready for action. 261 00:15:41,960 --> 00:15:44,320 Speaker 1: And at this point it was basically an arms race 262 00:15:44,440 --> 00:15:48,240 Speaker 1: over a dead pig. And from my own perspective, if 263 00:15:48,280 --> 00:15:50,920 Speaker 1: you knew how tiny this piece of land was, it 264 00:15:50,920 --> 00:15:54,280 Speaker 1: makes it extra hilarious and slash. Where did they put 265 00:15:54,280 --> 00:15:56,960 Speaker 1: all those boats? Well, and some of the boats they 266 00:15:56,960 --> 00:15:59,240 Speaker 1: would go out on maneuvers and were they would just 267 00:15:59,320 --> 00:16:01,960 Speaker 1: fire their cans at the bluffs or at like big 268 00:16:02,040 --> 00:16:05,120 Speaker 1: rocks that were on the land, which was vastly entertaining 269 00:16:05,200 --> 00:16:09,440 Speaker 1: to some of the people who were around. It turned 270 00:16:09,440 --> 00:16:12,480 Speaker 1: into this source of excitement of Okay, now, now we're 271 00:16:12,480 --> 00:16:16,560 Speaker 1: gonna do drills by firing our cannons at the at 272 00:16:16,600 --> 00:16:23,320 Speaker 1: the bluffs here. Yeah. So in September, almost three months 273 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:26,640 Speaker 1: after Cutler shot, the pig word finally reached Washington, d C. 274 00:16:26,840 --> 00:16:30,440 Speaker 1: Which was then approximately a six week trip away, about 275 00:16:30,440 --> 00:16:33,120 Speaker 1: what was going on. It was not through this letter 276 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:36,280 Speaker 1: sent to the War Department, though, it was when President 277 00:16:36,360 --> 00:16:39,600 Speaker 1: James Buchanan read about it in the newspaper on September third. 278 00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:43,600 Speaker 1: Both the US government and the British officials who were 279 00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:47,400 Speaker 1: in Washington, d C. Were astonished that an international incident 280 00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:54,640 Speaker 1: was brewing between Vancouver and Washington over a pig. Yeah. Yeah, 281 00:16:54,720 --> 00:16:58,120 Speaker 1: I can only imagine how startling that must be to 282 00:16:58,160 --> 00:16:59,720 Speaker 1: be like, oh, did you know, by the way, there's 283 00:16:59,720 --> 00:17:02,600 Speaker 1: about to be a war? Wait, what we're involved in? What? Yeah? 284 00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:05,480 Speaker 1: So you and I both did a lot of growing 285 00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:08,720 Speaker 1: up during the eighties, and a lot of like the 286 00:17:09,119 --> 00:17:12,640 Speaker 1: nuclear war fear is somebody going to push the red button. Yeah, 287 00:17:12,680 --> 00:17:15,760 Speaker 1: the constant Cold War discussion. Yeah. And for a long 288 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:17,560 Speaker 1: time I felt like a lot of this was just 289 00:17:17,840 --> 00:17:21,119 Speaker 1: ridiculous paranoia and made up things. And then when I 290 00:17:21,160 --> 00:17:23,600 Speaker 1: get to this part about how really there was almost 291 00:17:23,640 --> 00:17:26,520 Speaker 1: a shooting war between the United States and Britain over 292 00:17:26,560 --> 00:17:29,119 Speaker 1: a pig, I kind of go, oh, maybe that was 293 00:17:29,200 --> 00:17:32,960 Speaker 1: not so completely far fetched, right, that somebody might just 294 00:17:33,280 --> 00:17:35,520 Speaker 1: accidentally one day be like, you know what I'm gonna do, 295 00:17:35,920 --> 00:17:40,360 Speaker 1: I'm gonna push the button. Yeah. Unfortunately, all of our 296 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:47,360 Speaker 1: civilization is still filled with humans who are fallible and 297 00:17:47,840 --> 00:17:50,720 Speaker 1: will have lapses in judgments. And fortunately we now have 298 00:17:50,960 --> 00:17:54,919 Speaker 1: video conferencing, which would have resolved a lot of the 299 00:17:54,920 --> 00:17:59,360 Speaker 1: problems we're talking about in this episode. President Buchanan, who 300 00:17:59,359 --> 00:18:01,359 Speaker 1: had helped me to go the Treaty of Oregon in 301 00:18:01,359 --> 00:18:04,160 Speaker 1: the first place when he was Secretary of State, sent 302 00:18:04,240 --> 00:18:08,000 Speaker 1: General Winfield Scott to try to restore calm. And General 303 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:10,920 Speaker 1: Scott was a battlefield general and a diplomat who had 304 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:13,760 Speaker 1: experience in border disputes, so he was really the perfect 305 00:18:13,800 --> 00:18:16,320 Speaker 1: man for the job. But on top of this experience, 306 00:18:16,640 --> 00:18:20,760 Speaker 1: General Scott also had firsthand knowledge of Harney's hot headedness. 307 00:18:21,080 --> 00:18:24,000 Speaker 1: He had been involved in half of Harney's courts martial, 308 00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:28,199 Speaker 1: so Scott's trip out to this part of the world, 309 00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:31,640 Speaker 1: which was a sea voyage through the Panama Canal, took 310 00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:35,440 Speaker 1: another six additional weeks, but once he got there in October, 311 00:18:35,480 --> 00:18:38,160 Speaker 1: he immediately set to work and stayed for about a month. 312 00:18:38,680 --> 00:18:43,639 Speaker 1: Governor Douglas of Vancouver finally became an active participant in negotiations, 313 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:47,159 Speaker 1: now that he had someone actually interested in negotiating to 314 00:18:47,240 --> 00:18:50,840 Speaker 1: talk to. During that time that he was set up, 315 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:54,320 Speaker 1: Scott ordered all but one company of US soldiers off 316 00:18:54,320 --> 00:18:57,920 Speaker 1: the island and convinced Governor Douglas to withdraw the British 317 00:18:57,920 --> 00:19:01,120 Speaker 1: ships as well, leaving just one another anchor in Griffin Bay. 318 00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:04,359 Speaker 1: All of these removals were to stay in place until 319 00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:08,040 Speaker 1: a complete survey of the island was complete. He also 320 00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:12,280 Speaker 1: recommended that Harney be relieved of his command. Harney at 321 00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:15,680 Speaker 1: this point was just being willfully insubordinate and had even 322 00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:18,280 Speaker 1: tried to dismiss the troops that Scott had ordered to 323 00:19:18,320 --> 00:19:21,800 Speaker 1: be left behind with troops of his own, and ultimately 324 00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:26,000 Speaker 1: he was indeed relieved of that command to the betterment 325 00:19:26,040 --> 00:19:28,520 Speaker 1: of everyone, which was like the wisest course of action. 326 00:19:29,480 --> 00:19:33,240 Speaker 1: Before we get into how this all resolved, let's take 327 00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:45,720 Speaker 1: another moment. So, the United States and Britain finally negotiated 328 00:19:45,760 --> 00:19:49,000 Speaker 1: a joint military occupation of the island, and that stayed 329 00:19:49,040 --> 00:19:52,200 Speaker 1: in place for twelve years. Essentially a few months after 330 00:19:52,240 --> 00:19:56,080 Speaker 1: Scott's departure, Britain and the United States each sent about 331 00:19:56,080 --> 00:19:59,560 Speaker 1: one hundred troops to establish a presence on opposite ends 332 00:19:59,600 --> 00:20:02,600 Speaker 1: of the Eye Island. So it was like, you can 333 00:20:02,680 --> 00:20:07,320 Speaker 1: have the same amount of guys there. It's like when 334 00:20:07,640 --> 00:20:10,399 Speaker 1: parents of multiple children are trying to divide the exact 335 00:20:10,520 --> 00:20:14,560 Speaker 1: right number of French fries, or like tay Betty has 336 00:20:14,640 --> 00:20:17,840 Speaker 1: equals taping a line down the center of the bedroom. 337 00:20:18,040 --> 00:20:24,119 Speaker 1: This is your side, this is your brother's side. Yeah. 338 00:20:24,359 --> 00:20:27,880 Speaker 1: The American effort was soon derailed by the impending Civil War, 339 00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:31,240 Speaker 1: though the soldiers were at that point all going without 340 00:20:31,280 --> 00:20:34,640 Speaker 1: pay and the camp was really falling into disrepair. When 341 00:20:34,720 --> 00:20:39,120 Speaker 1: Virginia succeeded on April seventeenth of eighteen sixty one, Pickett 342 00:20:39,119 --> 00:20:41,200 Speaker 1: gave up his command and he went home to join 343 00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:44,320 Speaker 1: the Confederacy. He would later make a much bigger name 344 00:20:44,359 --> 00:20:48,200 Speaker 1: for himself at the Battle of Gettysburg. In eighteen seventy one, 345 00:20:48,440 --> 00:20:51,800 Speaker 1: Britain and the United States signed the Treaty of Washington, 346 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:54,800 Speaker 1: and the question of who San Juan Island belonged to 347 00:20:55,040 --> 00:20:58,240 Speaker 1: was turned over to Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany and he 348 00:20:58,359 --> 00:21:00,840 Speaker 1: sent it on to a three man arb tration panel. 349 00:21:01,480 --> 00:21:04,359 Speaker 1: This arbitration commission went on in Geneva for almost a 350 00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:07,359 Speaker 1: year before finally ruling that the island belonged to the 351 00:21:07,480 --> 00:21:10,840 Speaker 1: United States, and this officially put the boundary between the 352 00:21:10,920 --> 00:21:15,399 Speaker 1: United States and Canada through the Harrow Strait. British troops 353 00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:18,240 Speaker 1: withdrew from the island on November twenty fifth of eighteen 354 00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:21,080 Speaker 1: seventy two, and the last of the US troops had 355 00:21:21,119 --> 00:21:24,719 Speaker 1: also left by July of eighteen seventy four. In nineteen 356 00:21:24,800 --> 00:21:28,320 Speaker 1: sixty six, the US government created San Juan Island National 357 00:21:28,440 --> 00:21:33,480 Speaker 1: Historical Park to commemorate the event and its nonviolent resolution. 358 00:21:34,480 --> 00:21:38,280 Speaker 1: I have read several pieces that discussed this whole event 359 00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:43,160 Speaker 1: as like a great example of how two nations can 360 00:21:43,280 --> 00:21:50,399 Speaker 1: resolve something peacefully, which, okay, that part happened, yes, but 361 00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:52,840 Speaker 1: they should never have had the end to that point. 362 00:21:53,200 --> 00:21:59,760 Speaker 1: I mean, it seems from the outside, yeah, it it definitely. 363 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:05,399 Speaker 1: There was definitely a lot of people, especially you know, 364 00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:12,400 Speaker 1: especially one particular person that harn problem. And I don't 365 00:22:12,440 --> 00:22:15,119 Speaker 1: know why I had such trouble with his name. I 366 00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:18,600 Speaker 1: kept We've got all this out, I think, but I 367 00:22:18,960 --> 00:22:20,800 Speaker 1: managed to type his name three different ways in my 368 00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:25,160 Speaker 1: notes for some reason. But yeah, he just kept wanting 369 00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:28,359 Speaker 1: to take matters into his own hands and operate without 370 00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:31,400 Speaker 1: going through the chain of command and basically be kind 371 00:22:31,400 --> 00:22:34,560 Speaker 1: of a jerk. Yeah, and put more and more guys 372 00:22:34,640 --> 00:22:37,760 Speaker 1: on this tiny island full of cheap and put more 373 00:22:37,800 --> 00:22:40,880 Speaker 1: and more people at risk to kind of prove his 374 00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:45,439 Speaker 1: points slash support his ego. Yeah. Yeah. When I was 375 00:22:45,440 --> 00:22:47,480 Speaker 1: wrapping up the research on this podcast, I kind of 376 00:22:47,480 --> 00:22:49,639 Speaker 1: did a second review to try to make sure that 377 00:22:49,720 --> 00:22:53,040 Speaker 1: I had not just gotten the American point of view, 378 00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:55,960 Speaker 1: because a lot of like a lot of the major 379 00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:59,120 Speaker 1: actors and this story, as we have told it, are 380 00:22:59,160 --> 00:23:01,600 Speaker 1: the American people, right. So I went in and looked 381 00:23:01,640 --> 00:23:05,840 Speaker 1: up some Canadian sources to just make sure because most 382 00:23:05,880 --> 00:23:07,800 Speaker 1: of the most of my original results happened to have 383 00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:10,920 Speaker 1: been from American sources and they were basically the same. 384 00:23:10,960 --> 00:23:14,840 Speaker 1: Because it's a lot of the instigation really was coming 385 00:23:14,880 --> 00:23:18,280 Speaker 1: from the American side, which totally makes sense that then 386 00:23:18,359 --> 00:23:21,280 Speaker 1: a lot of the resolution also needed to be started 387 00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:24,600 Speaker 1: by the American side. It was only fair. I'm sure 388 00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:28,680 Speaker 1: that when General Scott went out there was probably a 389 00:23:28,720 --> 00:23:31,399 Speaker 1: certain degree of embarrassment about the whole thing having gotten 390 00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:33,600 Speaker 1: to this point in the first place. Yeah, he was 391 00:23:33,640 --> 00:23:35,320 Speaker 1: not really happy about having to go all the way 392 00:23:35,359 --> 00:23:38,439 Speaker 1: out there. He was not in great health. Then it 393 00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:40,560 Speaker 1: was all kind to go clean up a mess. Yeah, 394 00:23:40,600 --> 00:23:42,679 Speaker 1: I'm gonna have to travel for six weeks to go 395 00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:45,520 Speaker 1: clean up the stupid mess. I would be quite put out. 396 00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:53,320 Speaker 1: I would too. Thanks so much for joining us on 397 00:23:53,359 --> 00:23:56,240 Speaker 1: this Saturday. Since this episode is out of the archive, 398 00:23:56,320 --> 00:23:58,600 Speaker 1: if you heard an email address or a Facebook RL 399 00:23:58,680 --> 00:24:01,440 Speaker 1: or something similar over the court the show that could 400 00:24:01,520 --> 00:24:05,960 Speaker 1: be obsolete now. Our current email address is History Podcast 401 00:24:06,119 --> 00:24:10,080 Speaker 1: at iHeartRadio dot com. You can find us all over 402 00:24:10,119 --> 00:24:13,840 Speaker 1: social media at missed Inhistory, and you can subscribe to 403 00:24:13,920 --> 00:24:17,920 Speaker 1: our show on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, the iHeartRadio app, 404 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:23,600 Speaker 1: and wherever else you listen to podcasts. Stuff you Missed 405 00:24:23,600 --> 00:24:26,760 Speaker 1: in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. For more 406 00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:31,200 Speaker 1: podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app. Apple podcasts, or 407 00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:34,800 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.