Description:

San Juan Island National Historic Park serves as both a place of outdoor recreation and enjoyment. At its root, the park is a commemorative site for the Pig War, a British-American border dispute where the only casualty was a pig. Beginning in 1859, the island experienced protracted occupation by both British and American troops; out of this dispute came the official grant of the island to the United States in 1872. Today, visitors to the camps can see artifacts and observe historical reenactments, or wander along miles of trails and beaches, collecting seashells and watching animals interact in their natural environment. Two separate areas on San Juan Island make up the park, the American Camp on the southern tip and the English Camp on the northern end; the island is accessible by the ferry departing from Anacortes, run by Washington State Ferries.