American Camp

American Camp (1859-1874) - First established as American Camp in 1859 by U.S. Army Captain George E. Pickett (Cullum 1330), and Company D, 9th U.S. Infantry, on San Juan Island, San Juan County, Washington. Renamed Camp Pickett, Post of San Juan (1863), Camp Fred Steele (1867), and finally Camp San Juan Island (1868). Abandoned in 1874.

American Camp Surviving Officer Quarters	American Camp Laundress Quarters
American Camp circa 1868
American Camp circa 1859 Troops in Sibley Tents

American Camp History

American Camp Redoubt

Established 27 Jul 1859 by Captain George E. Pickett and Company D, 9th U.S. Infantry, from Fort Bellingham. Captain Pickett and his troops were responding to an incident on San Juan Island that came to be known as the Pig War. The Pig War involved a territorial dispute with between Britain and the United States that was sparked by a British pig killed by an American farmer. No conflict erupted but the result was American Camp on the south end of the San Juan Island and English Camp on the North end of the Island since they both claimed the island. The stalemate lasted until Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany negotiated an agreement in 1872 that gave San Juan Island to the United States. The United States abandoned American Camp in 1874.

Current Status

American Camp Today

American Camp Visitor Center

Part of the San Juan Island National Historic Park administered by the National Park Service. One officers quarters, an original building moved back to the camp from town and one laundress quarters are the only remaining buildings. On a hill above the camp is the earthen outline of a protective redoubt.

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Location: San Juan Island National Historic Park, San Juan Island, San Juan County, Washington. Maps & Images Lat: 48.4643139 Long: -123.0202889 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 151'

Sources:

• Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 835
• Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 186

Links:

• North American Forts - American Camp
• National Park Service - American Camp

Visited: 7 May 2014

American Camp Picture Gallery

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