San Juan Island

Understand

The Pig War

As early as 1845 the Hudson's Bay Company, based at British Fort Victoria, had posted a notice of possession on San Juan Island. In 1851 it established a salmon-curing station there and, two years later, a sheep ranch called Belle Vue Farm. About the same time, the Territorial Legislature of Oregon (which then included the present State of Washington) declared San Juan Island to be within its territorial limits, and in January 1853 incorporated it into Island County. By 1859 there were about 18 Americans on San Juan Island, settled on redemption claims which they expected the U.S. Government to recognize as valid. The British considered these claims illegal.

On June 15, 1859, a pig belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company was caught rooting in the garden of an American settler named Lyman Cutlar. Cutlar shot the pig, which sparked an international crisis. When British authorities threatened to arrest Cutlar, American citizens drew up a petition requesting U.S. military protection. Each side built up their military presence the island. When word of the crisis reached Washington, officials there were shocked that the simple action of an irate farmer had grown into an explosive international incident. President James Buchanan sent the commanding general of the U.S. Army to investigate and contain the affair. He was able to get both sides to agree to joint military occupation until the issue could be settled.

San Juan Island remained under joint military occupation for the next 12 years. In 1871, the San Juan question was referred to Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany for settlement. On October 21, 1872, his commission ruled in favor of the United States, establishing the boundary line through Haro Strait. The San Juan Islands became American possessions and the boundary between Canada and the United States was fully set.

Many of San Juan Island's roads trace to sheep runs cut by Hudson's Bay Company workers. They were led, in part, by Fort Victoria Chief Factor and colonial Gov. James Douglas, from 1853 to 1859. Many of the workers were Cowichan Indians from Vancouver Island.

Cities

• Friday Harbor — county seat for San Juan County and the largest town in the San Juan Islands.
• Roche Harbor — a bustling harbor resort.

Get in

By ferry

Washington State Ferries operates the Anacortes / San Juan Islands route:

The ferry also makes stops at:

• Anacortes Terminal on the mainland, about 1½ hours north of Seattle. This is the only easy way to take a car to the islands. Anacortes Terminal is connected by public bus to Mount Vernon and the rest of mainland, and by private shuttle directly to Seattle and SeaTac Airport.
• Lopez Island, at its northern tip, about 4 mi from Lopez Village.
• Shaw Island, at the northeastern corner, near the island's only services.
• Orcas Island, at Orcas Village.

The ferry schedule is complicated. There's a sailing about once an hour in the summer, a little less often in the winter. One vessel makes several interisland loops, while the other vessels run from Anacortes to one or more islands and back.

Reservations are strongly recommended for vehicles, especially for summer weekends, when the wait for loading cars can be notoriously long. It is not unusual to wait in line for many hours, and missing the last ferry can mean a desperate search for accommodations to spend an unplanned night on the islands.

Walk-on passengers should arrive at least 30 minutes prior to sailing. Vehicle traffic with reservations should arrive about 60 minutes prior to sailing. Vehicles without reservations should prepare to wait several hours during peak afternoon and weekend sailing.

The Sidney (BC)-Anacortes ferry service, serving Friday Harbor, has been suspended] and will not resume until at least 2030. The San Juan Clipper from Seattle, operated by Clipper Vacations, was suspended in 2022 and remains out of service.

By seaplane

Get around

By bus

By taxi

By moped

Eat and drink

Most dining options are in Friday Harbor. Roche Harbor has three restaurants, and there are a few other restaurants scattered across the rest of the island.

Go next

• Lopez Island — A flat and bikeable island with a tight-knit rural community.
• Orcas Island — The largest of the San Juan Islands, littered with harbor villages, artist galleries and old-growth coastal forest.