Submitted by the San Juan Island Visitors Bureau

Who would have thought a trespassing pig could start a war? Only in Washington’s San Juan Islands.

During the month of May, history lovers will have a chance to cruise through history from the deck of the 52-foot Orcas Express as it sails past iconic lighthouses and other navigational aids used by merchants and smugglers alike. On Lopez, visit Hummel Lake and enjoy a presentation and foraging party about Coast Salish food plants such as crabapples, gooseberries, Indian carrots and celery.

If walls could talk – and sometimes they do in The Whale Museum – you’d hear echoes of the events held in this former Odd Fellow’s Hall. Stories both historical and supernatural have originated in this iconic old building. Join historian, Robin Jacobson, to journey through a timeline of the building’s uses in Friday Harbor from 1892 through today. Hear the story of the infamous 1895 murder trial of teacher Richard Straub and the 1910 Prohibitionist fervor of Billy Sunday, followed by tales of its modern-day evolution into a stewardship museum.

Celebrate the Coast Salish Wooly Dog and hear how natives raised flocks of fluffy white dogs and sheared them like sheep. Learn how they spun the dog’s wool to create the unique Salish Sea textile tradition or colorful clothing and blankets. Join widely published ecologist and historian Russel Barsh and botanist and spinner Madrona Murphy for a slideshow presentation, demonstration and refreshments celebrating the Coast Salish “wooly dog” and the first peoples of the islands.

Visit original buildings including the officers’ quarters at American Camp in the San Juan Island National Historical Park. This recently restored building once housed the infamous Captain George Pickett, who commanded the garrison at American Camp before later gaining fame for the ill-fated Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg. Check out the interactive Museum of History and Industry in Friday Harbor and Encampment at the National Historical Park. Take a self-guided tour of Friday Harbor which has more than 150 historic sites within its walkable one-mile radius. Twenty-six of these are described in the Historic Friday Harbor on the foot tour.

Discover colorful stories during History Lives Here – National Historic Preservation Month at www.visitsanjuans.com/history-lives-here.