An archipelago of more than 450 rocks, pinnacles and islands peppers northern Puget Sound. This National Monument shelters a uniquely tranquil landscape, where mist smudges the lines between water, forest and distant peaks. The main island—San Juan—was the site of maybe the best conflict ever: the Anglo-American Pig War (1859–1872). No shots were fired, except in the execution of a greedy hog, and the bored armies wound up sharing picnics, parties and horse races. Finally Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm I was asked to mediate, and he awarded the disputed area to the United States.

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San Juan Islands

An archipelago of more than 450 rocks, pinnacles and islands peppers northern Puget Sound. This National Monument shelters a uniquely tranquil landscape, where mist smudges the lines between water, forest and distant peaks. The main island—San Juan—was the site of maybe the best conflict ever: the Anglo-American Pig War (1859–1872). No shots were fired, except in the execution of a greedy hog, and the bored armies wound up sharing picnics, parties and horse races. Finally Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm I was asked to mediate, and he awarded the disputed area to the United States.

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