The Legend of The Big Black Hog

The farm finally has hogs on it again. I missed them terribly. Not only do they become pets in a sense but they do alot of work for us (grazing, left-over disposal, compost turning, and garde plot tilling). We bought these two from some internet friends from up around Bentonville and now they are snug in a pen in our barn; a pen we fashioned out of an unused hay-ring.

There is an interesting story behind this particular breed of hog called the Big Black (sows can get up to 800 pounds).

In June of 1859, 13 years after America and Britain signed the Oregon Treaty, Charles Griffin an Irishman under the crown of Great Britain in the Canada terrirtories let his Big Black Hogs run open and graze freely. His hog got into the garden of an American, Lyman Cutler, and destroyed his garden. When Cutler confronted Griffin about this stating, "it's up to you to keep your hog out of my garden!" , Griffin replied in true Irish form, "Well I think it's up to you to keep your garden out of my hog!" Cutler shot the hog.

Cutler appealed to the local American magistrates after Griffin demanded at least $100 for the hog and had reported the incident to the British government. Shortly thereafter, there was a stand off between the two countries, armies, and the farmers. 66 American troops from the 9th infantry were mobilized to protect Cutler's interest in the affair. Britain called forth 3 war ships and dispatched marines to protect Griffin's. After several days of each army hurling insults at each other, cooler heads prevailed. British Rear Admiral Robert Baynes declared that two great nations fighting a war over a pig would be foolish and invoke the ridicule of the entire world. Both armies stood down with orders to protect themselves but under no circumstance should they fire the first shot. The mini-war, called The Battle of the Big Black Pig, ended without a shot being fired. The only casualty was the unfortunate pig.

The incident resulted in President James Buchanan dispatching a general to negotiate peace terms with the British government of the British territory of Vancouver and specifically San Juan Island. Buchanan had more important things to attend to what with sectional disputes throughout his country (Bloody Kansas, etc) and the advent of the soon to come American Civil War. An armistice was agreed to. I have not found any information on what happened with the two farmers or the hog.