Around 1790 Spanish explorers, and later Captain George Vancouver, discovered the San Juan Islands, located today in which state?

Nestled in the Salish Sea between the mainland and Vancouver Island, these scenic islands became a focal point for European powers exploring the Pacific Northwest in the late 18th century. A Spanish expedition led by Francisco de Eliza charted the area in 1791, bestowing many of the Spanish names that survive today, such as Lopez Island and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Just one year later, Captain George Vancouver of the British Royal Navy arrived to conduct his own extensive survey of the coastline, claiming the region for Great Britain and naming landmarks like Puget Sound.

This competing interest led to a famous and peculiar border dispute decades later. After the territory was ceded to the United States, ambiguity in a treaty led to both the U.S. and Britain claiming the islands. Tensions famously boiled over in 1859 in the "Pig War," a nearly bloodless conflict sparked when an American farmer shot a British-owned pig. The dispute was ultimately resolved through international arbitration, with the German Emperor ruling in favor of the American claim in 1872. This decision officially placed the archipelago within U.S. territory, where it is now a treasured part of the state of Washington.