In 1859 a shot fired on San Juan Island nearly sparked a war between the United States and Great Britain. American farmer Lyman Cutlar shot a large black pig owned by the British Hudsons Bay Company after it had feasted on his potato patch for the tenth time. When British owner Charles Griffin demanded one hundred dollars for the animal Cutlar offered only ten. Both sides then sent armed forces and a tense standoff lasted until cooler heads prevailed. The dispute ended in 1872 by international a