Considered by many to be societal leaches who were too lazy to work for a living, peacetime soldiers in the years leading up to the pig war certainly got a raw deal. As a result, many of them deserted. Here’s some of their stories.

San Juan history

Deserters of San Juan Island

Although the joint occupation had ended, Friday harbor still found itself at the edge of America both legally and border wise. This is a story on Chinese workers who were often smuggled in from Victoria, British Columbia to work on the Island’s massive albeit sporadic fish canning industry.

Chinese Immigrants in Friday Harbor

Fences are as American as apple pie, but their history and connotations have caused strife ranging from King Philip’s War to the Pig War. This podcast captures how Indigenous ideas of property and land have conflicted with European settler ideas on land, and have caused strife throughout Colonial and American history.