Richard Read12:02, Jun 25 2021 Makaristos/wikimedia commons The international boundary between Canada and the United States in Point Roberts, Washington. In 1846, after decades of haggling, American and British diplomats finally agreed on a border between the US Northwest and what would later become Canada. Following the 49th parallel west from the Rocky Mountains almost to Vancouver Island, the boundary sliced straight across a peninsula that jutted south from Canada, leaving 4.8 square miles (12.4 sq km) on the American side. Point Roberts, Washington, long prospered as an appendage of Canada. Its economy thrived on sales of petrol, groceries and alcohol at prices considered a bargain by Canadians, whose frequent visits helped make the border station one of the busiest crossing points between the two countries.