Latest POD Date for Current US State Borders?

Given an electoral map posted with a POD in the 1600s(!) that included Nevada with the exact OTL borders (and a capital of Carson City), I started thinking about after what the latest date a POD would be reasonable that would still end up with OTL State borders.

My personal limit is the end of OTL Civil War, by that time only changes that lead to OTL State borders in the Lower 48 are Nevada's growth at the expense of Utah and Arizona, the creation of Wyoming Territory/State with the resultant change to Idaho's boundaries and the splitting of the Dakotas. All of these seem *possible* to happen as in OTL. Hawaii as a state and Alaska with the boundary decision as in OTL also seem entirely possible.

I'm not sure it is possible to go back much farther than that because of one state: West Virginia. The history of the secession of West Virginia/Kanawha *and* the Virginia counties that actually join it seem *so* likely to change due to butterflies in the US Civil War that I just can't see everything working out.

Ideas?
 
Well, even with this 1865 POD, we still have Oklahoma and Utah as territories - while i can't think of a reason of why they would split Utah, they could split the Oklahoma and Indian territories in two small states.
 
Well, even with this 1865 POD, we still have Oklahoma and Utah as territories - while i can't think of a reason of why they would split Utah, they could split the Oklahoma and Indian territories in two small states.
For most of the time that that area that became OK was a territory it was one territory, then split into two territories and then merged when it became a state. Making two states is certainly possible, but I won't look funny at a TL that ends up the exact same way in that regard (or keeps it one territory all the way to statehood)
 
I started thinking about after what the latest date a POD would be reasonable that would still end up with OTL State borders.

November 2, 1889.

If you want to be exact, 1977, but it's possible to get to there from here if the POD is 1889 without being unreasonable.
 
November 2, 1889.

If you want to be exact, 1977, but it's possible to get to there from here if the POD is 1889 without being unreasonable.

Yes, that is the admission date for North and South Dakota, but if a TL had Harrison shot in January 1889 and Levi Morton becoming President, I think we would still quite reasonable end up with OTL's borders in the lower 48.

OK, why 1977, one of the adjustment treaties with Mexico over the path of the Rio Grande?

(Note, I'm talking about State Boundaries that would be easily spotted on a 8.5''x11'' map of the USA)
 
Yes, that is the admission date for North and South Dakota, but if a TL had Harrison shot in January 1889 and Levi Morton becoming President, I think we would still quite reasonable end up with OTL's borders in the lower 48.

Thing about a lot of state borders is they came down to literally one person. If that person doesn't exist, the border changes, no question.

OK, why 1977, one of the adjustment treaties with Mexico over the path of the Rio Grande?

Yep.

(Note, I'm talking about State Boundaries that would be easily spotted on a 8.5''x11'' map of the USA)

Now you're just moving the goalposts.
 
Thing about a lot of state borders is they came down to literally one person. If that person doesn't exist, the border changes, no question.



Yep.



Now you're just moving the goalposts.

The decision to make the Dakota Territory into two states was much more than one person, and more to do with the party in control (Republican) after the 1888 election as well as the population distribution in the territory.

Consider the goalposts moved. :)
 
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