Elinor Nauen

I liked both of these pictures but can't figure out how to use both in one blog post, so this is a gratuitous addition.

The Pig War is big news on the West Coast, I suppose. In fact, there's a San Juan Island National Historic Park, and Hopworks Urban Brewery in Portland makes a beer called Pig War White IPA that it describes this way: "Our White IPA uses Hard Red Spring Wheat grown on our San Juan Island farm exclusively for Hopworks. This specialty grain imparts a rich, biscuity malt character and signature wheat beer haze. Northwest hops add layers of fruity, floral flavor and crisp bitterness. A truly refreshing twist on a tried and true favorite."  Read More 

The 1859 Pig War was between the United States and the British Empire over the boundary between the two in the Northwest, specifically at the 49th parallel in the San Juan Islands, which lie between Vancouver Island and the North American mainland. It was set off when an American settler shot and killed a British pig he caught in his garden. When British authorities threatened to arrest the assassin and evict his countrymen, they ran to George (Pickett's Charge) Pickett.

Both sides eventually agreed to joint occupation. Today the Union Jack still flies above the British Camp and is raised and lowered daily by park rangers—making it one of the very few places without diplomatic status where  Read More