uncle Tom on Canada

[Stan]

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

I thought this was a very nice view of Canada...but I don't especially appreciate the title of the thread. I understand it, but it can be taken 2 ways...one = nice; one = sarcastic.

[Liz]

Thanks for sharing. It looks like a great place to live.

[Gerr]

Thanks for sharing. It looks like a great place to live.

No, thanks. No antifreeze in my veins.

[Gerr]

To this day, I don't understand why the founding fathers stopped at the 49th parallel during the revolution. We have a common language sans Quebec, share so many of the same sports and entertainment/entertainers. We wouldn't have the energy problems we have now if the stars and stripes flew from the Mexican border to the North Pole!

[karl]

To this day, I don't understand why the founding fathers stopped at the 49th parallel during the revolution. We have a common language sans Quebec, share so many of the same sports and entertainment/entertainers. We wouldn't have the energy problems we have now if the stars and stripes flew from the Mexican border to the North Pole!

The original country was very small. 13 colonies, with the French and the Spanish claiming much of what is today the U.S. Obviously there were too many Torys north of the 49th to be able to include that area in the revolt.

[The Searcher]

Dear Friends,

There was the French-Indian war earlier. The result was the border set up between the French and English. Sometime after this, the English got the upper-hand and took over Canada. By the time of the Revolutionary War, England was in full control of Canada under King George. Many of those loyal to England fled from the US to Canada in order to remain English. Canada never revolted against English rule.

But if the French keep pushing their agenda, there may be a revolt by the western provinces. The Canadians do have more in common with us than they do have with England. I enjoy my trips to Canada. But I detest the liberal government; free speech is not protected there as it is here.

Sincerely,

The Seeker

[Gail]

Does anyone remember long ago when a member, I think JR Layman (when he was a member) mentioned that there was a time when the U.S. nearly went to war with Canada over a pig?

He posted it as a kind of guessing game, but I think it was Gregory Matthews who knew it to be true!

[phkrause]

Does anyone remember long ago when a member, I think JR Layman (when he was a member) mentioned that there was a time when the U.S. nearly went to war with Canada over a pig?

He posted it as a kind of guessing game, but I think it was Gregory Matthews who knew it to be true!

I didn't know that Gail. At least I don't recall.

pk

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

That crisis came on June 15, 1859, when an American settler named Lyman Cutlar shot and killed a pig belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company because it was rooting in his garden. When British authorities threatened to arrest Cutlar, American citizens drew up a petition requesting U.S. military protection. Brigadier General William S. Harney, the anti-British commander of the Department of Oregon, responded by sending a company of the 9th U.S. Infantry under Captain George E. Pickett (of later Civil War fame) to San Juan. Pickett's 66-man unit landed on July 27 and occupied a commanding spot near the Hudson's Bay Company wharf, just north of Belle Vue Farm.

James Douglas, governor of the new Crown Colony of British Columbia, was angered at the presence of American soldiers on San Juan. He had three British warships under Captain Geoffrey Hornby sent to dislodge Pickett but with instructions to avoid an armed clash if possible. Pickett, though overwhelmingly outnumbered, refused to withdraw.

Throughout the remaining days of July and well into August, the British force in Griffin Bay (then San Juan Harbor) continued to grow. Captain Hornby, however, wisely refused to take any action against the Americans until the arrival of Rear Admiral Robert L. Baynes, commander of British naval forces in the Pacific. Baynes, appalled at the situation, advised Douglas that he would not "involve two great nations in a war over a squabble about a pig."

http://www.nps.gov/archive/sajh/Pig_War_new.htm

[Gail]

:)

[phkrause]

That crisis came on June 15, 1859, when an American settler named Lyman Cutlar shot and killed a pig belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company because it was rooting in his garden. When British authorities threatened to arrest Cutlar, American citizens drew up a petition requesting U.S. military protection. Brigadier General William S. Harney, the anti-British commander of the Department of Oregon, responded by sending a company of the 9th U.S. Infantry under Captain George E. Pickett (of later Civil War fame) to San Juan. Pickett's 66-man unit landed on July 27 and occupied a commanding spot near the Hudson's Bay Company wharf, just north of Belle Vue Farm.

James Douglas, governor of the new Crown Colony of British Columbia, was angered at the presence of American soldiers on San Juan. He had three British warships under Captain Geoffrey Hornby sent to dislodge Pickett but with instructions to avoid an armed clash if possible. Pickett, though overwhelmingly outnumbered, refused to withdraw.

Throughout the remaining days of July and well into August, the British force in Griffin Bay (then San Juan Harbor) continued to grow. Captain Hornby, however, wisely refused to take any action against the Americans until the arrival of Rear Admiral Robert L. Baynes, commander of British naval forces in the Pacific. Baynes, appalled at the situation, advised Douglas that he would not "involve two great nations in a war over a squabble about a pig."

http://www.nps.gov/archive/sajh/Pig_War_new.htm

Well thanks for that info and history lesson.

pk

[Dottie]

I know I'm ignorant about a lot of things, but it surprised me to learn that the Hudson's Bay Company still exists. We learn about it in the early history of exploration of North America, but no mention is made later.

When I went to Canada to my son's wedding, I asked why the big department store in the mall was called "The Bay." That's when I found out that the Hudson's Bay Company is still going strong.

[Gail]

It is, but a few years back it was bought out by an American coupmany.

The interesting thing about the HBC is that their archives held much of Canada's early history.