San Juan Island National Historical Park
N 48° 27.886 W 123° 01.456
10U E 498206 N 5367959
A national park on San Juan Island in Washington offers trails along the shore, through the woods and prairie, whale and bird watching and preserves the history of the American and English Camps of the Pig War in 1859.
Waymark Code: WMFEQE
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 10/07/2012
Views: 5
The San Juan Island National Historical Park is located on the second largest island of the archipelago of the San Juan Islands in Washington. The Park which encompasses 1752 acres is made up of two units includes 6 miles of shoreline in the Puget Sound/Northern Straits region, a network of trails through woodlands and prairie, and the historic American and English Camps that were established during the infamous Pig War.
In the early 1800s, both the United States and Great Britain explored and staked claims in the Oregon Territory which included Washington, Oregon, Idaho, portions of Wyoming and Montana and the province of British Columbia. In 1846, the Treaty of Oregon was signed in London which marked the boundaries, but the San Juan Islands were right in the middle and both countries claimed ownership. In 1859, an American farmer shot a British pig that was rooting in his garden and was threatened with arrest by the English authorities which ultimately prompted the U.S. to send troops to San Juan Island and British Columbia to send warships off the coast. The Americans established a camp on the southern end of San Juan Island and the English had a camp at the northwest end. Fortunately cooler heads prevailed and the only one injured in the Pig War was the pig. Although both countries withdrew most of their reinforcements, they retained joint military occupation of the island for twelve years. In 1871, when the Treaty of Washington was signed, the boundary dispute between the U.S. and Canada was settled with the San Juan Islands determined as American property. The Royal Marines withdrew the following year and the Americans left the next year.
Today, the visitor can explore both camps along self-guided trails.
Other trails include nature walks along the shore, through the prairie and woods, a trip to Young Hill and the English Camp Cemetery.
The posted coordinates are to the American Camp Visitor Center which is open daily from June to October and Wed. - Sun from October to June (click here for more details) and is the primary contact station for San Juan Island NHP. There are displays of artifacts and photographs from both camps and information for the entire park.
The English Camp is located at:
- N 48° 35.174' W 123° 08.874'
There is a information center located in the Royal Marine Barracks which is opened during the summer months and closed for the rest of the year.
The grounds are open year-round from dawn to 11 PM. Visitor kiosks are available at the trailhead to both camps. There is no fee.