On June 15, 1859, Lyman Cutlar, an American settler on San Juan Island, shot a pig he found rummaging through his vegetable garden.  That pig happened to belong to the British settlers of Hudson’s Bay Company, and they were none too pleased to hear the news. Tensions were already riding high, and this squabble ignited a 10-year dispute aptly named the Pig War. Washington State Library’s historic newspapers collection has some excellent firsthand accounts of the shooting and events surrounding the dispute, including this one from Olympia’s Pioneer and Democrat of August 5, 1859. If you enjoy this, you can find more on our Moments in History page.