Largest possible Russian America?

What do you all think is the greatest possible Russian America? It doesn't need to remain part of Russia, or retain its large size in the long run. What POD would be required to create a reasonably greatest Russian America? Comments and corrections appreciated :)
 
What do you all think is the greatest possible Russian America? It doesn't need to remain part of Russia, or retain its large size in the long run. What POD would be required to create a reasonably greatest Russian America? Comments and corrections appreciated :)

Having written a TL on this subject I might be helpful... (note: the TL had a surviving Russian Alaska including Haida Gwaii, as well as Russian Alta California).

Well, you'd need to make the pre-existing Russian America, namely Alaska, more profitable in the long term than it was in OTL. Alaska was profitable in the beginning, being a new source of furs. However unregulated hunting made it unprofitable, so you'd need to bring a gold rush into the area while the Russians are still around.

Also an easier supply route would help. The Russians tried to establish control over the Hawaiian Islands in OTL (with Kaua'i being the center of Russian trade activity in OTL) and if they succeed the long transport route would be safer and an all-time Pacific warm water port would be available (to some extent, but it could provide a resting stop in the winter months during which Vladivostok was still frozen).

Also the southernmost part of Russian America was Port Ross near San Francisco. So... I'd say, "realisticly" speaking Russian America could cover portions parts of Western Canada (Manitoba and areas in the Hudson Bay drainage basin would still be British), focused on OTL's British Columbia, as well as the remainder of Oregon Country/Columbia District, as well as northern California up to San Francisco Bay, as well as northern Nevada and northern Utah. But that is the absolute maximum and it would require serious weakening of the US and the British.
 
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Having written a TL on this subject I might be helpful... (note: the TL had a surviving Russian Alaska including Haida Gwaii, as well as Russian Alta California).

Well, you'd need to make the pre-existing Russian America, namely Alaska, more profitable in the long term than it was in OTL. Alaska was profitable in the beginning, being a new source of furs. However unregulated hunting made it unprofitable, so you'd need to bring a gold rush into the area while the Russians are still around.

Also an easier supply route would help. The Russians tried to establish control over the Hawaiian Islands in OTL (with Kaua'i being the center of Russian trade activity in OTL) and if they succeed the long transport route would be safer and an all-time Pacific warm water port would be available (to some extent, but it could provide a resting stop in the winter months during which Vladivostok was still frozen).

Also the southernmost part of Russian America was Port Ross near San Francisco. So... I'd say, "realisticly" speaking Russian America could cover portions parts of Western Canada (Manitoba and areas in the Hudson Bay drainage basin would still be British), focused on OTL's British Columbia, as well as the remainder of Oregon Country/Columbia District, as well as northern California up to San Francisco Bay, as well as northern Nevada and northern Utah. But that is the absolute maximum and it would require serious weakening of the US and the British.

Sounds good, do you have a link to your TL so I can take a look?
 
I broadly agree with Iserlohn, except that California "up to San Francisco Bay" doesn't make sense. Any power that controls the Bay will perforce either come to control the San Joaquin or be driven out of California altogether. So I'd argue for the mountains north of Los Angeles as the furthest realistic extreme.
 
I broadly agree with Iserlohn, except that California "up to San Francisco Bay" doesn't make sense. Any power that controls the Bay will perforce either come to control the San Joaquin or be driven out of California altogether. So I'd argue for the mountains north of Los Angeles as the furthest realistic extreme.

And THERE is the reason why I am bad at geography (I can recognize every non-small island in the Pacific nation by their borders, but I can't tell where mountain ranges or rivers are). So yeah, I checked, Fort Ross is NORTH of these mountains (and according to Google two hours away from San Fransisco), they are a realistic limitation.
 
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