San Juan County, Washington: History
The San Juan Islands were the subject of a territorial dispute between Great Britain and the United States from 1846 to 1872, leading to the Pig War in 1859. The bloodless conflict ended through arbitration led by Kaiser Wilhelm I, which awarded the islands to the United States. San Juan County was home to Henry Cayou, one of the first elected officials of Native descent in Washington.
On June 7, 2024, a T-34 plane flown by former astronaut and Air Force pilot William Anders crashed in the San Juan Islands. Anders did not survive the crash.