PLSO The Oregon Surveyor January/February 2020

Vol. 43, No. 1 The Oregon Surveyor | The Lost Surveyor 26 be needed to say for certain. October 21, 1872 the boundary was settled in Gene- va after nearly a year of meetings by a commission appointed by German Kai- ser Wilhelm I. The commission in Geneva ruled in favor of the Americans and the San Juan’s became part of the United States. By 1874, both sides had withdrawn their troops from the San Juan Islands after a nearly 12-year standoff. Fortunately, nei- ther commanding officer would fire the first shot over a pig. A monument to the Pig War exists at the San Juan Island Na- tional Historical Park. After the death of the pig in 1859, The Treaty of Washington was ratified in 1871 and although it resolved several dis- putes between the U.S. and Britain, the boundary dispute wasn’t one of them. After all of that, how does Internation- al Boundary Monument #1 set in 1861 become inscribed “Treaty of Washing- ton June 15, 1846”? After a great deal of Googling, it turns out that the Canadians apparently believe the Oregon Treaty is commonly called the Treaty of Washing- ton in American History. This according to www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca . Al- though they claim this fact, I could find no evidence of this in the International Boundary Commission information or through other references. Did the Cana- dians have a hand in the inscription of the monument? Maybe so. This sturdy monument, Monument #1, of the west- ern end of the international boundary and monument to a controversial loca- tion of American history stands tall in remembrance of the settlement of a fa- mous boundary dispute and maybe even the death of a pig. 54-40 or Fight! Authors Note: The signage at this loca- tion is in conflict with regards to dates between the stone monument and the green interpretive sign installed in 1996. Further research found dates on the in- ternet which don’t always match either of the signs for the same event. In partic- ular, there seem to many varying dates listed for when the monument was erect- ed. I would assume the stone scribing is correct.  x Photo 5a–5e: International Boundary Monument #1 at Point Roberts Washington looking west towards Vancouver Island. Images of monument insets below. References • Wikipedia for Parliament Statuary figures • Wikipedia for Oregon and Washington Information • https://www.plso.org/Resources/Documents/PLSO_AugSept11_web.pdf • https://www.nps.gov/sajh/learn/historyculture/the-pig-war.htm • https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/forty-ninth-parallel-feature • www.internationalboundarycommission.org • The Center for Land Use Interpretation http://www.clui.org/section/ united-divide-a-linear-portrait-usacanada-border-5