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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 652 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 652

        Recognizing the 150th anniversary of the Pig War crisis.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 16, 2009

   Mr. Larsen of Washington (for himself, Mr. Inslee, Mr. Dicks, Mr. 
Baird, Mr. Hastings of Washington, Mrs. McMorris Rodgers, Mr. Reichert, 
Mr. Smith of Washington, Mr. McDermott, and Mr. Rehberg) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
        Recognizing the 150th anniversary of the Pig War crisis.

Whereas for more than 40 years, Great Britain and the United States contended 
        over the Oregon Country, which today comprises Washington, Oregon, 
        Idaho, as well as portions of Montana and Wyoming and the province of 
        British Columbia;
Whereas, on June 15, 1846, the two nations agreed upon the 49th parallel as the 
        international boundary, but could not agree on a water boundary between 
        Vancouver Island and the mainland, where the San Juan Islands lie;
Whereas tensions over possession of the islands escalated to crisis proportions 
        on San Juan Island when on June 15, 1859, a United States farmer, shot 
        and killed a pig belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company, prompting 
        dispatch of naval and military forces from both nations to the island's 
        southern shore;
Whereas the crisis was resolved peacefully through a combination of restraint 
        and diplomacy when United States Army Commander Lieutenant General 
        Winfield Scott arrived from Washington, DC to negotiate a stand-down 
        with British Columbia Governor James Douglas;
Whereas the ensuing 12-year, peaceful joint military occupation of San Juan 
        Island challenged United States soldiers and British Royal Marines to 
        cope with the difficulty of 1860s military life in an isolated 
        environment, yet formed a lasting friendship between the two garrisons;
Whereas in 1872, the boundary question was settled in favor of the United States 
        through arbitration by Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany, which brought a 
        lasting peace on the 49th parallel between Great Britain, Canada, and 
        the United States;
Whereas San Juan Island National Historical Park was created in 1966 to 
        commemorate the peaceful settlement of the Pig War crisis and celebrate 
        the idea that individuals and nations can sometimes resolve their 
        differences peacefully without resorting to violence; and
Whereas soldiers from the United States and the United Kingdom continue to serve 
        their countries side-by-side in remote regions of the world: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives honors the 150th 
anniversary of the peaceful resolution of the Pig War crisis and 
applauds the close ties and lasting friendship between the United 
Kingdom and the United States.
                                 <all>
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