San Juan Island National Historical Park
Reenactment Uniforms
Reenactment Uniforms
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National Historic Landmark
1961 National Historical Park 1966 Park Size 2,141 acres Annual Visitors 458,000 Park Fee none Superintendent Elexis Fredy Park Partner Discover Your Northwest Location San Juan County, WA |
San Juan Island National Historical Park protects a rich landscape and even richer history. In 1859, a border dispute between the U.S. and Canada (then under British rule) reached the brink of war. Tensions between British and American forces stationed at opposite ends of the island flared dramatically over the shooting of a pig. The “Pig War” that never was is commemorated in the park for the effectiveness of international diplomacy, which peacefully ended the stand-off after international negotiation.
Living history programs are popular with visitors to San Juan Island, serving thousands of spectators and school children each year. Accurate British uniforms have been difficult and expensive to procure for the National Park Service. The Fund for People in Parks provided a grant to purchase uniform accessories to enhance the authenticity of the British uniforms so they are on par with the American uniforms. The uniform items were hand-made by fabricators around the world and are now in regular use by staff and volunteers so that visitors can better visualize and experience the important historical events at San Juan Island. Project Cost: $22,683 Project Completed: 2021 The Fund for People in Parks: $18,362 National Park Service: $4,321 Living history is the park’s most popular interpretive offering that encounters thousands of visitors per year. In addition, the park welcomes over 1,000 school children visiting as part of the Pig War being a curriculum component for Washington State history. This will allow us to portray the wholeness of the story to all of these visitors. This large educational and interpretive gap for the British Royal Marines has been filled through your generosity. Programming is now more robust, balanced, and exciting to see these legendary individuals depicted in the park going into the future.” |
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