The USA-Canada boundary dispute became increasingly antagonistic in the 19th century until, in 1846, the United States and Britain agreed to split North America along the 49th parallel. Britain retained Vancouver Island but ownership of the San Juan Islands was left unresolved since the treaty declared the area was to be divided "through the middle of the channel". Which channel, however, was never specified. The British thought the channel in question was Rosario Strait, while the USA claimed it was Haro Strait. In between lay the San Juan Islands.

The dispute remained fairly unimportant until American settlement on the San Juan Islands increased. The British Hudson Bay Company had maintained farms and a fishery on San Juan Island for years but, in 1855, a US magistrate attempted to lay heavy tariffs on goods produced on the company's farms, leading to official grumblings from both sides. US settlers continued to stream onto the islands and, in 1859, the fateful shot was fired. A Hudson Bay Company [pig] was shot dead after an American farmer found it rooting through his potato patch. Terse words were exchanged between the two countries and the US sent troops to occupy the island. Britain dispatched war ships from British Columbia to protect the Hudson Bay Company's interests.

Cooler heads eventually prevailed and a treaty declaring joint military occupation of the island was agreed while London and Washington tried to figure out if they were at war. For 13 years, troops from both sides languished on the island, occasionally planning joint barbecues and sporting events. Life on the island didn't change that much, aside from the Hudson Bay Company keeping better tabs on its pigs.

In 1872, the dispute was put before Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany, who ruled in favor of the United States. The international boundary was to be the Haro Strait.

The only casualty was...

one pig.
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