Origins of the Dispute Over San Juan Island

The origins of the dispute over San Juan Island date back to the European exploration phase when Spain, the United States, and Britain all showed interest in the fertile and strategically located island. In 1818, the Anglo-American Convention allowed citizens of both nations to live in what was then called Oregon Country. However, as the US population in Oregon Country surged between 1840 and 1845, tensions mounted as fur trading declined. The Treaty of Oregon in 1846 aimed to delineate borders, but the ambiguous wording led to a dispute over the ownership of the San Juan Islands.