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Victors of the Pig War

On June 15, 1859 Lyman Cutlar, an American farmer living on the disputed San Juan Island, shot and killed a pig that had been eating his potatoes. The pig belonged to Charles Griffin, an employee of the Hudson Bay Company. Griffin demanded $100 in compensation for the pig, but Cutlar refused. Griffin appealed to the English governor, and Cutler requested the aid of the US Army stationed in Fort Bellingham. The situation escalated quickly, and on August 10, 1859, Captain George Pickett and 461 Americans with 14 cannons faced down 5 British warships mounting 70 guns and carrying 2,140 men. Fortunately cooler heads prevailed, and both sides agreed to jointly occupy the island until the border dispute could be resolved.

The occupation lasted for over 12 years, but on October 21, 1872 both sides selected German emperor Wilhelm I to arbitrate the dispute. The Kaiser appointed a three person commission that decided in favor of the United States in a 2 to 1 vote.

In this alternate history mod the crisis was still resolved peacefully, but geographer Heinrich Kiepert sided with Councillor Levin Goldschmidt and voted for the British. Ultimately the San Juan Islands became part of Canada.