Actually, if Canada owned Seattle IT might be the terminus for the CPR.
Won't it still be going through the Thompson valley in this TL? Hence Vancouver is closer and upstream - while Seattle could certainly be a port and on the railroad, Vancouver will also be where the railroad turns inland...
BTW - did you check your PM box?
Yes, I'm carefully considering my detailed response
It is customary in a debate to explain why you think I am wrong. Ideally you should provide evidence for your position but a simple explanation would do. Simply telling me I am wrong is pointless. I'll hold off making any comment until I know why you think I am wrong.
Many other parts of Canada were valuable ; Ontario transport links and minerals, the northern prairies once winter wheat strains had developed, vast timber resources, the northern gold, and once you get into the 20th huge mineral wealth.
We it really depends on the POD the initial poster for this thread only swiped your border and map from the earlier thread so far as I could see, not the scenario itself.
Indeed, so your more aggressive US is also contingent on the timeline.
It is your supposition that blocking of transport routes is significant not mine. It is largly irrelevant to what I am saying.
What I'm saying with this is that unlike many Canada++ timelines this doesn't give borders that hurt the USes transport network.
Manifest Destiny perhaps? Better Northern ports on the Pacific? To protect the US flank? Living room? Fenianism? Resources?
All of which Canada had in the OTL, and this one will probably see a stronger Canada that will make the US less keen on such things, especially since the Great Lakes industrial belt will now be dependent on Canadian Iron, and the wealthy will be lobbying for Free Trade, not wars that will leave their factories idle.
You really are being a bit offensive in the way you are replying to me. Your model of settlement is far too simplistic and really does not account for Louisiana, California, Texas or Florida. The American advance into the widerness was both Governmental and individual. For every Smith there was a Lewis and Clark
Bwuh? 'cart before the horse' is a very neutral idiom in my lexicon, no need to get in a huff. Yes in those examples you give, Americans which moved into local states caused trouble, however the most pertinent example for this situation would be Americans who went to Canada, who caused no trouble.
This was not the observation of the Tejanos or Californios. Their experience is that Americans remain American and for the most part those moving beyond the frontier were second generation immigrants, most first generation immigrants could not afford to get to the frontier or suitably equip themselves/
You're missing my point, those two occurred in the pre-1850s and were done by Americans, the settlement of Western Canada will occur in the 1860s and afterwards when the steamboat migrations and railroad settlements start - Canada will be able to dilute any American influence in a flood of people straight from Europe.
This is not true Douglas had to work his butt off to keep British Columbia British, ditto the Yukon during the gold rush.
I think you're over estimating Douglas' struggle but even so - in the OTL he succeeded, this shouldn't be that much harder, especially as by definition Canada has more money and British interest thanks to its greater mineral wealth and area (which is why the Americans would be after it).
By your own map these harbours are what? 300 miles? south of Seattle and the best of them would be on the Columbia but the Empire holds the North shore of that river on your map. In 1867 Seattle was a busy harbour and a military post even if it was small.
Well you have Coos Bay definitely, and whats wrong with the Columbia harbours and Astoria? Seattle is just across from Vancouver Island and yet it became a major base. If anything the British presence would
promote military development on the Columbia. the US could easily still play for Alaska.
So in conclusion I can't see that anything you have written changes my observations in any significant way.
Well woo...