The Tale of Two Superpowers - USA vs. Canada

Dean

Can you use the Colorado along much of its length for transport? I though the Grand Canyon and such were pretty much impassable.

Steve

Er, I'm not sure. I know that today the Grand Canyon is considered impassable, but I'm not sure how much of the Colorado is impassable naturally and how much is impassable because of dams and river alterations made in the last century and a half. Parts of it would be for river trade, I'm sure. You actually don't need too much depth for river trading, through; flat bed boats out east only went about 2-4 feet under the water.

However, it wasn't uncommon for western travelers (wagon especially) to move along rivers, since major rivers both provided water and a good sense of direction, both of which are extra valuable in the American South West.
 
Er, I'm not sure. I know that today the Grand Canyon is considered impassable, but I'm not sure how much of the Colorado is impassable naturally and how much is impassable because of dams and river alterations made in the last century and a half. Parts of it would be for river trade, I'm sure. You actually don't need too much depth for river trading, through; flat bed boats out east only went about 2-4 feet under the water.

However, it wasn't uncommon for western travelers (wagon especially) to move along rivers, since major rivers both provided water and a good sense of direction, both of which are extra valuable in the American South West.

Dean

I'm thinkin of a story I read about the Californian gold rush. One party, wishing to avoid the Mormons in Utah were presuaded by an adventurerous member to try traveling along a river heading in the right direction. After an horrendous voyage they reached a relatively calm area where some friendly indians traded with them and expressed surprise they had managed to survive the trip so far. When the leader of the party, thinking the worst must be over, mentions on how they plan to travel further down the river the Indian leader displays great shock and horror and after some effort persuades them that the next stretch is much, much worse. Basically the river they have been on is a tributary of the Colorado and they are just about to enter the Grand Canyon stretch. The impression given by the book is that it would have been suicidal for the party to have tried to continue along that course.

Steve

PS It is logical for the US in this scenario to want to control those natural river routes. Of course you don't always get what you want. :)
 
My reasons for making Canada big was basically one reaon. Canada currently has about one tenth of the American population, after giving Canada a lot more territory it might make that discrepancy a lot narrower, to the point where Canada could compete with the United States.
 
This is an old thread, but it strikes me is the way Britain gave up so much good land to the US. I've read that the Great Lakes made a much better line of defence than the Ohio River. Too bad they didn't realize what a weak future country they wood eventually create by doing so. Hindsight sure is 20/20.

PS. I wonder what would have happened with the British Empire if this superpower Canada came to pass?
 
This is an old thread, but it strikes me is the way Britain gave up so much good land to the US. I've read that the Great Lakes made a much better line of defence than the Ohio River. Too bad they didn't realize what a weak future country they wood eventually create by doing so. Hindsight sure is 20/20.
Apparently not, or you might remember what the deciding factor of the Ohio Valley settlement patter was: demographics. Settlers, legal and illegal, were beating British and Canadian efforts, as well as the local Indians. It was a de facto result, not the kind of position you dig in for virtually no immediate gain in exchange for possible, hypothetical, if nothing goes wrong elsewhere, gains many many decades into the future.


PS. I wonder what would have happened with the British Empire if this superpower Canada came to pass?
Well, since such a Canada would clearly have to include massive non-British immigration to get anywhere near the strength of the US, after a point the only-Canada-in-name-because-it-sure-won't-resemble-real-Canada will go its own way, have its own interests that align and diverge with Britain, and the British Empire will have another rival who will ultimately be the stronger one in the relationship, and who will seek its own interests.
 
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