LITTLE DID WE KNOW AS WE BOARDED THE FERRY from Anacortes to Friday Harbor that we were sailing upon the Salish Sea, This “official” designation was given to 5500 square miles of Puget Sound, the Strait of San Juan de Fuca and the Strait of Georgia by the US Board on Geographic Names and its use is being promoted by the Seattle NPR jazz station.
Pelagic cormorant Rhinoceros auklet
The ferry hardly noticed the change, nor did the pelagic cormorants and rhinoceros auklets as we chugged along. And the quaint town of Friday Harbor couldn’t have cared less. We found a tourist bus to take us to the San Juan National Historical Park for one of the most obscure bits of US history we’ve yet uncovered. The 1859-1872 Pig War “Crisis” involves a trespassing American pig, English potatoes, and a couple of irate farmers. The United States and Great Britain resolved the dispute through peaceful arbitration and established the boundary between the US and Canada that exists today. All that remains in the Park is the visitor center on the site of “American Camp” and, of course, the story.
The Ebey homestead, quiz to follow
We were able to drive to Whidbey Island and Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve, the first national historic reserve in the US created by the National Park Service to preserve the rural history and culture of the island and to protect the area's rare and sensitive plants. The docent in the Ebey’s house proudly stressed the first national historic reserve bit as if there would be a quiz later.
