Boundary disputes, throughout history, have been one major reason for wars. Canada's 4000 miles on its southern front and more than another thousand on its Alaska side - all shared with the United States - didn't escape a moderate degree of misunderstanding and trouble, including one war and a few near wars. It took 59 years after the Treaty of Paris in 1783 to gain official acceptance for the first part or eastern end of our International Boundary. Even then, neither side was entirely happy with it.

Not until 1846 was there a very serious effort to draw official geographical limits for the far western part. It was only then agreed that the International Border would follow the 49th parallel westward across the mountains to the Pacific coast, then bend southward to leave all of Vancouver Island in British territory. In the case of the small island of San Juan, the line would stay with the main channel around it. But it was soon argued that the island had a main channel on each of two sides and San Juan's ownership remained in doubt. Some people contended, philosophically, that it didn't matter because the small island had no value and no future.

Gradually, however, the island attracted settlers, some from British North America and some from the United States. The developing situation was sure to invite a first class international argument about ownership. To hasten the crisis, an American citizen, Lyman Carter, liked gardening and growing potatoes while his neighbour, a red-haired Irishman employed by the Hudson's Bay Company, kept pigs and had one that was particularly fond of potatoes. When the pig became addicted to the neighbour's potatoes, the gardener warned the Irishman to keep his pig at home or face the consequences.

The Irishman replied that San Juan was a free country and no American was entitled to order the restriction of either a perfectly respectable pig or its owner. Next day, the pig returned to the potato patch and the irate American loaded his flintlock and killed it.

The Irishman, doubtlessly in a proper mood to start a war, reported the despicable deed to his Hudson's Bay Company bosses at Victoria and they passed the protest to the local governor. In consequence, a British warship that happened to be at Victoria harbour at the time was ordered to sail to San Juan. When the warship was dropping anchor at the island, the Americans were landing 60 soldiers. An American officer said the soldiers were brought to the island to furnish "protection against northern Indians," but most observers, both British and Americans, knew there was a better reason for the American military presence.

The stage seemed set for war. But, fortunately, nobody pulled a trigger and the very appearance of military strength on opposite sides of the island served like a warning and exerted a restraining influence. By good fortune, both the British and American commanders were sensible and cautious individuals and may have conferred and agreed upon the folly of allowing sparks from the loss of a pig and a few potatoes to blaze into a full-scale war.

For want of a better way of ending the dispute, British and American authorities agreed to refer the entire island issue to Emperor Wilhelm of Germany who had agreed to mediate.

More time was lost but, in 1872, the Emperor reported, giving judgement in favour of the United States, and San Juan became American.

In 1972, exactly 100 years later, island residents marked the anniversary by officially opening the San Juan National Historic Park which many people in both Canada and the United States insisted upon calling "The Pig War Park."