"It is up to you to keep your potatoes out of my pig."

March 31, 2021 10:26 AM

The Pig War of San Juan Island Posted at the American Camp trailhead, the following message: "The area is a reminder that senseless wars over insignificant causes do not need to happen."

Link to the Wikipedia page containing sections with titles such as 'Before Pig' and 'Pig'.

Bonus videos of pigs and potatoes: 1, 2, 3

posted by RobinofFrocksley (9 comments total)

From the first link

How could two nations prepare to battle over the death of a pig?

The answer is clear after touring the island, as I did last November. The conflict had nothing to do with a pig. Rather, it had to do with territorial issues....

The beauty of San Juan Island renders the Pig War completely rational.

Poor little porker, your fate was sealed by decisions, unfathomable to you, by men staring at maps. Maps that, had they been presented to you, you might have eaten.
posted by otherchaz at 10:57 AM on March 31, 2021 [9 favorites]

I am rather fond of the Pig War. The islands are lovely, and the English Camp seems like such a cosy little spot to hole up. Rather less so our camp, which has a nice view across the strait, but is exposed, and sandy and windswept.
posted by wotsac at 11:20 AM on March 31, 2021 [4 favorites]

I grew up on San Juan Island as a young kid -- our family moved closer to Seattle when I was in third grade. Our family spent a lot of time outside and American and British camp were both on the regular rotation. British camp has some wonderful trees to climb.

When I would ask why there were those two camps on the island, my parents punted on explaining colonialism and territorial expansion. My confused childhood impression was that it was sort of a contest -- whichever nation had the nicer camp would get the island, essentially. As a six or seven year old, obviously the Islands should have gone to the British, given that their camp had more buildings remaining, a rose garden, and more of a parklike atmosphere -- the Americans, on the other hand, chose a very exposed, less hospitable area and what's left was less impressive, through a child's eyes.
posted by Rinku at 11:30 AM on March 31, 2021 [8 favorites]

It is up to you to keep your potatoes out of my pig.

Least appealing euphemism ever.
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:35 AM on March 31, 2021 [1 favorite]

"It is up to you to keep your potatoes out of my pig."

I think this goes in the AI pickup line thread a few down.
posted by AugustWest at 12:20 PM on March 31, 2021 [9 favorites]

I wonder if Lt. Henry Marten Robert (from the second link) spent any of his lonely time stationed at the windswept American Camp thinking about his pet project, Robert's Rules of Order, published half a decade later.
posted by Araucaria at 4:24 PM on March 31, 2021 [3 favorites]

I love the fact that this war over a pig somehow ended up roping in Robert (of Robert's Rules of Order), Pickett (of Pickett's charge), and Kaiser Wilhelm I.
posted by Paragon at 5:48 PM on March 31, 2021 [4 favorites]

Washington state has (or did have, in the 90s) a required state history class for graduation. It was taken by all freshmen but sometimes you’d have upper grades kids in it (transfers, failed attempts, and sophomores who hadn’t been able to fit it into their schedule the previous year).

Any way, the Pig War featured heavily.

Also, apple maggot quarantine, and being able to correctly label each county. Oh, and knowing that Washington produced more potatoes than Idaho even though Idaho had better potato PR.

No real course material about colonialism or atrocities against the people who were living in the areas covered.
posted by bilabial at 11:48 PM on March 31, 2021 [1 favorite]

Oh, and knowing that Washington produced more potatoes than Idaho even though Idaho had better potato PR.

License plates, baby!
posted by y2karl at 2:14 PM on April 1, 2021