Alberta-Sasketchewan settled by Mormons

What if the Mormons had followed the Missouri River north and into into Canada to settle in Alberta and Sasketchewan rather than going due west to Utah and the Salt Lake Valley?

Western Canada would be settled quite a bit earlier, and there'd likely be a province of *Deseret that joins the Confederation around the same time as Manitoba.
 
What if the Mormons had followed the Missouri River north and into into Canada to settle in Alberta and Sasketchewan rather than going due west to Utah and the Salt Lake Valley?

Western Canada would be settled quite a bit earlier, and there'd likely be a province of *Deseret that joins the Confederation around the same time as Manitoba.
Considering settlement was not permitted on hundson bay company lands until they were purchased by Canada this is a tough sell. You also have to deal with the many different First Nation tribes who tended to ally to kick new competition out and if allowed to settle then need to get endorsed by the Dominion Land Service. Simple to do if of WASP stock but tough to do if Catholic, non farmer or used to warmer climates. Hence why Irish Catholics were not allowed to emigrate to Canada for years let alone Italians, Spanish etc.

Reality is I don’t see it happening
 
Why not?
OTL saw plenty of Ukrainian, Mennonite, Dukabor and Hutterite settlers on the Canadian Prairies. The last three groups are seen as religiously ultra-conservative :.... distinct from their Protestant neighbors.
 
If it's before 1870 the Blackfoot murder a bunch of them and drive them away. If it's after 1870 the RNWMP tell them to turn around and go home.

The other groups were recruited and invited, and they were a small portion of the larger total.
 

Big Smoke

Banned
Manitoba is more likely because they were searching for an inland sea.

Why not?
OTL saw plenty of Ukrainian, Mennonite, Dukabor and Hutterite settlers on the Canadian Prairies. The last three groups are seen as religiously ultra-conservative :.... distinct from their Protestant neighbors.

Never heard of Ukranians settling there - thats cool. Austrian Galicia mustve been a hell of a place - heck, theres a town in Bosnia (Prnjavor) that still has a sizeable Ukranian community with several districts being majority Galician. Theres a couple Ukranian churches, as well, IIRC.
 
Western Canada would be settled quite a bit earlier, and there'd likely be a province of *Deseret that joins the Confederation around the same time as Manitoba.

Would it? Both didn't happen in the US. Utah's population is larger than it would probably have been without Mormons, but the real population boom started there a couple decades after the Mormon pioneers arrived, at the same time as it did in Colorado and Wyoming.

Also, Deseret didn't join the Union, right? Utah did. That's because the Mormons raided other settlers, practiced polygamy, practiced slavery, and in general did things that caused the US government to feel obliged to make order through force. The Mormons practiced polygamy and slavery by the time they left Missouri (the picked up the latter practice there after being originally abolitionist), and there's no reason to think that the same desire to acquire children without pesky Gentile parents might not lead to raiding in the Prairies, even if there are perhaps fewer folks to prey on.

The Canadian government may be less able or willing to act to enforce their sovereignty on the region, but I bet they'd be pretty quick, especially since the fact that the Mormons are originally Americans means that Canada might fear the US will try to annex the region a la Texas.

Probably you end up with something similar to OTL, but with Mormons in Saskatchewan or whatever instead of along the Great Salt Lake or something like that. The region will be dominated by but not solely inhabited by Mormons, who will remain a somewhat distinctive culture while definitely being Canadian. OTL, Mormons recruited heavily in England; maybe the fact that they're now in the Empire instead of the US might make them a bit more attractive?

For what it's worth, Utah probably remains a generic Mountain West state, notable for the Great Salt Lake and Zion National Park (which obviously won't have that name):D. Possibly the Utah Territory doesn't get divided, though it would end up being very large if not - a little larger than California by area, and in the absence of Mormons and Las Vegas butterflied away, it might end up with not very many folks. It's warmer but dryer than Montana, though it does have decent mineral wealth. Nevada gold rushes might still end up leading to that half being split off, though, I guess.
 

Lusitania

Donor
Till 1870 the lands drained into the Hudson Bay which included all of Saskatchewan Alberta were owner by the Hudson Bay company snd part of the British empire. The Hudson Bay company made $ in the fur trade and was not interested in allowing people settle in their territory. The natives were also hostile to white settlers so unless they first sailed to London and negotiated permission to settle in HBC territory they would of been forced off the lands.
 
Why not?
OTL saw plenty of Ukrainian, Mennonite, Dukabor and Hutterite settlers on the Canadian Prairies. The last three groups are seen as religiously ultra-conservative :.... distinct from their Protestant neighbors.
The Canadian government tried to encourage eastern Europeans because they were seen as "hardy stock" that would be used to the conditions. They were invited specifically to prevent Americans from moving in.
 

Lusitania

Donor
The Canadian government tried to encourage eastern Europeans because they were seen as "hardy stock" that would be used to the conditions. They were invited specifically to prevent Americans from moving in.

Yes but the west was only settled after the Hudson Bay lands had been bought by the new Canada country and a railway was built to provide transportation to the prairies. This thread talks about a potential 1845-1860 migration of Mormons to the Canadian prairies.
 
Yes but the west was only settled after the Hudson Bay lands had been bought by the new Canada country and a railway was built to provide transportation to the prairies. This thread talks about a potential 1845-1860 migration of Mormons to the Canadian prairies.
My post was in response to someone saying that the Mormons would have no problem because other groups were allowed in later.
 
Why not?
OTL saw plenty of Ukrainian, Mennonite, Dukabor and Hutterite settlers on the Canadian Prairies. The last three groups are seen as religiously ultra-conservative :.... distinct from their Protestant neighbors.
There was a major concern over farming wheat and experience with cold weather. Keep in mind most wheat strains were more suited for warmer climates and crop selection was limited.

The groups you mentioned were specifically targeted due to their reputation as good farmers and, unfortunately were easier to get to emigrate with their home countries cooperation than “true” Russians/Germans etc. They also were only invited post railway construction. Different countries were targeted for different parts of Canada hence the northern Ontario Finland population to those used to farming the steppes of Europe to scattered settling of the non core railway belt

The different legal codes between English Canada and French Quebec did not help and the government wanted one system wherever possible. Good example is how land was surveyed differently in the west unless already occupied around some fur trade posts
 
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