Earlier Northwestern Gold Rushes

The Oregon Country and a good part of Western United States and Canda were populated due to late 19th century gold rushes that brought in timely influxes of population defining whether the land went to the US or Canada and brought such groups as Chinese And others.

So what would happen if before the 19th century when the region was under Spain and Russia these discoveries were made.
 
Well you're getting a swarm of settlers from some place or another, from sheer geography you're liable to attract a significant diaspora from the American colonists, they're the closest large populace and they have a ton of people to spare, unlike the Spanish and Russians.

Northwestern discoveries might give the Spanish a bit of a second wind in the imperialism game as she's started to decline as a power but now she's got wealth to put back into the South American possessions and such, they're easily one of the biggest maintenance costs for the empire and an influx of wealth is capable of doing a lot of things, both good or bad.
 
Well you're getting a swarm of settlers from some place or another, from sheer geography you're liable to attract a significant diaspora from the American colonists, they're the closest large populace and they have a ton of people to spare, unlike the Spanish and Russians.

Northwestern discoveries might give the Spanish a bit of a second wind in the imperialism game as she's started to decline as a power but now she's got wealth to put back into the South American possessions and such, they're easily one of the biggest maintenance costs for the empire and an influx of wealth is capable of doing a lot of things, both good or bad.

What if it was before American colOnies broke away though?
 
What if it was before American colOnies broke away though?

That was my point, even pre-revolution there's still a buttload of people living in the colonies, they're the largest readily accessible population for migration and such, people will make the trip if there's a promise, no matter how minute, of becoming fantastically rich. Britain allowing it or not allowing it is almost irrelevant to the matter.

Hell they could put a ban on it and it could wind up inspiring revolt similar to the ban on Western settlement OTL.
 
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