The San Juans, with its many islands and hidden, sheltered bays, located between Canada and the United States, have long attracted smugglers. And for almost as long, federal authorities have sought to enforce the law on these waters. Congress…

In October 1891 Captain Tozier, commander of the Revenue Cutter the U.S. Grant, was in search of smugglers in the San Juan Islands. A canny and experienced officer, Tozier set up a sting operation near a suspected smuggler's cabin. Several of…

The boldness of the Japanese surprise attack in 1941 shocked Americans, and some wondered if the West Coast itself was vulnerable. In the days before radar, only human observation could detect an incoming aerial assault. The US government mobilized…

Humans have inhabited the San Juan Islands for at least 13,000 years. The first peoples didn’t appear to rely on fishing, rather they hunted land animals like deer. The Columbian black-tail deer are San Juan’s largest native land mammal, making them…