Double post. When I get the next update finished (hopefully tomorrow) I don't want it to be on the bottom of a page.
Union and Liberty: An American TL
- Thread starter wilcoxchar
- Start date
Part Twenty-Three: From the Mountains to the Sea
Got another update finished. Here it is. Not sure what picture should go with it, so any suggestions would be great.
Part Twenty-Three: From the Mountains to the Sea
Colorado Gold Rush:
In 1855, a group of Spanish settlers had struck north from Santa Fe to find a place to settle in northern New Mexico Territory. The settlers followed the Rio Grande and then the foothills of the mountains until they came upon a series of rock formations consisting of uplifted sandstone slabs against the side of a mountain. It was here that they decided to set up their final camp, along a creek that ran through the area. Soon the settlers met with a local Arapaho band led by Chief Niwot. After securing a tentative peace with Niwot, the settlers set up camp. Soon they began traveling up the local canyon into the mountains, and the settlement started to grow. In the spring of 1856, one of the settlers, Lázaro Mendinueta, discovered some gold five miles up one of the canyons.
This discovery began what is now known as the Colorado Gold Rush. For almost a decade after the discovery, almost two hundred thousand settlers from the south and the east poured into the southern Rocky Mountains in search of gold and silver. New cities quickly sprang up in New Mexico Territory. While many of them were small mining towns in the mountains that were abandoned after the rush calmed down, a few on the eastern edge of the Rockies served as important depots and thrived even afterward. Some of these cities include Zeublon near the base of Pike's Peak, Ororio on the South Platte River, Pueblo on the Arkansaw River, and Ferroplano at the point where the Spanish first settled[1]. Ferroplano would come to prominence as the capital of the territory and later state of Colorado.
Houston, We Have Contact:
After the undersea cable from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland was completed, countries on both sides of the Atlantic were postulating a telegraph cable to connect the two continents. The quickest path was clearly Newfoundland to Ireland, and in 1855 the London and Acadia Telegraph Company was formed to try and link England with the Acadian Union, and through that, Europe and North America. In 1855 an attempt was made to connect the two sides but the project fell through when the United States Senate narrowly vetoed a funding bill due to the Anglophobe opinions of many senators[2].
After a series of meetings between representatives from the United States, the United Kingdom, and other Atlantic European countries, a compromise was made. In 1857, Congress passed a bill for the funding of a telegraph line to run from Nova Scotia to Lisbon. The London and Acadia Company worked with British companies to build the cable, and in 1857 the first laying of the cable began from Halifax. This attempt failed as the cable broke during the journey, but a successful laying was completed a year later starting in Lisbon. In July of 1858 the cable was completed, and President Houston and Queen Victoria sent the first telegrams across the Atlantic.
The title of this section refers not to the first message sent across the cable, as is commonly thought, but to the message sent to Washington from Halifax upon receiving the first message from Queen Victoria. In the first two telegrams sent across the cable, Queen Victoria on a visit to Lisbon wished that the communication line would help improve relations between the United States and the United Kingdom, while President Houston expressed his wish for further cooperation between the United States and Europe.
However, this first cable did not last long. A winter storm in Nova Scotia destroyed the cablehouse at Whitehead where it came up out of the Atlantic. During attempts to rebuild the cable house, it was found that the cable had deteriorated too much for continued use. Another cable was laid in 1859, and this sturdier line survived the next winter. After this first success, more cables were laid in the late 1860s and 1870s, from many different locations up and down both sides of the Atlantic coast.
[1] Colorado Springs, Auraria (now part of Denver), Pueblo, and Boulder, respectively.
[2] In OTL this anglophobia was in Congress as well, and the bill seeking funding from Congress only passed the Senate by a single vote.
Part Twenty-Three: From the Mountains to the Sea
Colorado Gold Rush:
In 1855, a group of Spanish settlers had struck north from Santa Fe to find a place to settle in northern New Mexico Territory. The settlers followed the Rio Grande and then the foothills of the mountains until they came upon a series of rock formations consisting of uplifted sandstone slabs against the side of a mountain. It was here that they decided to set up their final camp, along a creek that ran through the area. Soon the settlers met with a local Arapaho band led by Chief Niwot. After securing a tentative peace with Niwot, the settlers set up camp. Soon they began traveling up the local canyon into the mountains, and the settlement started to grow. In the spring of 1856, one of the settlers, Lázaro Mendinueta, discovered some gold five miles up one of the canyons.
This discovery began what is now known as the Colorado Gold Rush. For almost a decade after the discovery, almost two hundred thousand settlers from the south and the east poured into the southern Rocky Mountains in search of gold and silver. New cities quickly sprang up in New Mexico Territory. While many of them were small mining towns in the mountains that were abandoned after the rush calmed down, a few on the eastern edge of the Rockies served as important depots and thrived even afterward. Some of these cities include Zeublon near the base of Pike's Peak, Ororio on the South Platte River, Pueblo on the Arkansaw River, and Ferroplano at the point where the Spanish first settled[1]. Ferroplano would come to prominence as the capital of the territory and later state of Colorado.
Houston, We Have Contact:
After the undersea cable from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland was completed, countries on both sides of the Atlantic were postulating a telegraph cable to connect the two continents. The quickest path was clearly Newfoundland to Ireland, and in 1855 the London and Acadia Telegraph Company was formed to try and link England with the Acadian Union, and through that, Europe and North America. In 1855 an attempt was made to connect the two sides but the project fell through when the United States Senate narrowly vetoed a funding bill due to the Anglophobe opinions of many senators[2].
After a series of meetings between representatives from the United States, the United Kingdom, and other Atlantic European countries, a compromise was made. In 1857, Congress passed a bill for the funding of a telegraph line to run from Nova Scotia to Lisbon. The London and Acadia Company worked with British companies to build the cable, and in 1857 the first laying of the cable began from Halifax. This attempt failed as the cable broke during the journey, but a successful laying was completed a year later starting in Lisbon. In July of 1858 the cable was completed, and President Houston and Queen Victoria sent the first telegrams across the Atlantic.
The title of this section refers not to the first message sent across the cable, as is commonly thought, but to the message sent to Washington from Halifax upon receiving the first message from Queen Victoria. In the first two telegrams sent across the cable, Queen Victoria on a visit to Lisbon wished that the communication line would help improve relations between the United States and the United Kingdom, while President Houston expressed his wish for further cooperation between the United States and Europe.
However, this first cable did not last long. A winter storm in Nova Scotia destroyed the cablehouse at Whitehead where it came up out of the Atlantic. During attempts to rebuild the cable house, it was found that the cable had deteriorated too much for continued use. Another cable was laid in 1859, and this sturdier line survived the next winter. After this first success, more cables were laid in the late 1860s and 1870s, from many different locations up and down both sides of the Atlantic coast.
[1] Colorado Springs, Auraria (now part of Denver), Pueblo, and Boulder, respectively.
[2] In OTL this anglophobia was in Congress as well, and the bill seeking funding from Congress only passed the Senate by a single vote.
Excellent Update as always, but will there be a chance to see an internal map of the Republic of California.
Just read this timeline, and, so far, I'm liking it a lot. Particularly the different states/territorial divisions, and the gist of the timeline in general.
I do find it ironic that your Liberty Party is in favor of the preservation of slavery, while OTL's minor Liberty Party was founded in its opposition to it.
Very good, though, nonetheless. Looking forward to future updates.
I do find it ironic that your Liberty Party is in favor of the preservation of slavery, while OTL's minor Liberty Party was founded in its opposition to it.
Very good, though, nonetheless. Looking forward to future updates.
Maybe a little more integrated, but from the maps I was looking at, it's only a decade earlier than OTL at most. Although the first connection being at Lisbon instead of Ireland will change things for sure.
Sure, I'll try to make one soon. First I have to decide on the internal divisions.
Thank you. Yeah, was looking for a name for that party other than the Slavery Party and the Southern Whigs, and I like the irony of it.Just read this timeline, and, so far, I'm liking it a lot. Particularly the different states/territorial divisions, and the gist of the timeline in general.
I do find it ironic that your Liberty Party is in favor of the preservation of slavery, while OTL's minor Liberty Party was founded in its opposition to it.
Very good, though, nonetheless. Looking forward to future updates.
Well, as I'm doing the timeline from the perspective of an American history book, most of the updates will focus on the United States and its surroundings. However, I do have plans to include information on the rest of the world as it is relevant, including some things coming up fairly soon in Europe and Asia.
Posted a map of California here. Don't want to repost it here because it's a bit bigger than I thought it would be.
Bravo!!!
One question though:
How much of OTL's Colorado is part of the US and how much is part of California?
I know OTL's Utah lies within California but the border with the US must lie somewhere through the middle of OTL's Colorado. Thus I assume TTL's Colorado is going to be different from ours.
Other than that it is nice to see new states coming up.
Yep. That is the flag for California, although I don't think the outline or the bears are in the flag. I just liked how that looked.
A bit more than half of OTL Colorado is in the US now I think. The border runs through the Rockies, but I haven't found a good enough map to figure out exactly where in the state. However I'm pretty sure the border runs between Leadville and Steamboat Springs.
A nineteenth century US timeline that isn't a massive America-wank? You've got me interested. Glad to see you've avoided the inevitable Anglo-American southwest. The Catholic, Hispanic California is something that needs to be seen much more often.
Excellent timeline so far, wilcoxchar. I await further updates.
Excellent timeline so far, wilcoxchar. I await further updates.
About the Catholic Hispanic California:
My guess is they do not like the Mormons very much (and the Mormons probably don't like them that much either). Are we going to see any interesting developments here?
Will we witness a Deseret secession from California? or a California civil war, similar to OTL's Reform war in Mexico which finally allowed freedom of religion?
Both groups have been there for almost a generation. Enough time to develop some serious identity issues.
I know the TL is written from an American textbook POV, so "foreign" issues do not appear until they become relevant to US history. But some development here would be rather interesting.
My guess is they do not like the Mormons very much (and the Mormons probably don't like them that much either). Are we going to see any interesting developments here?
Will we witness a Deseret secession from California? or a California civil war, similar to OTL's Reform war in Mexico which finally allowed freedom of religion?
Both groups have been there for almost a generation. Enough time to develop some serious identity issues.
I know the TL is written from an American textbook POV, so "foreign" issues do not appear until they become relevant to US history. But some development here would be rather interesting.
Thanks! Yeah, we really need to see Hispanic Californias more often, partially because it's plausible, and partially because it's awesome.A nineteenth century US timeline that isn't a massive America-wank? You've got me interested. Glad to see you've avoided the inevitable Anglo-American southwest. The Catholic, Hispanic California is something that needs to be seen much more often.
Excellent timeline so far, wilcoxchar. I await further updates.
I haven't exactly decided what's going to happen with the internal politics of California yet. I was figuring that the two groups kind of left each other in peace, but the population difference and with more people coming to California things might escalate.
I have some plans for foreign updates, but I'm not sure when they're going to happen yet so I'm not sure when they'll be included.
I've thought of some good foreign occurrences that are somewhat relevant, so I will be putting those in the next update. I have one of the three sections finished, with brief notes on the other two now, so I should have it done by the weekend.
I honestly think that it would be an awesome idea to wank the Asian population of California; after all, immigration from China and Japan was huge from the 1850's-1870's, and only stopped because the American government banned it in the 1880's. In this TL if California doesn't stop it, coupled with the area's lower population ITTL, i could honestly see California's population be at least 25% Asian.
Just a thought.
Just a thought.
I honestly think that it would be an awesome idea to wank the Asian population of California; after all, immigration from China and Japan was huge from the 1850's-1870's, and only stopped because the American government banned it in the 1880's. In this TL if California doesn't stop it, coupled with the area's lower population ITTL, i could honestly see California's population be at least 25% Asian.
Just a thought.
This might even add Buddhism (or Shinto) to the already colorful (and probably unstable) mix of Catholics and Mormons. But I guess both sides would vote yes on immigration on the hopes of getting more converts and thus expanding influence.
Seeing California evolve peacefully would be interesting. It would give the US a worthy western rival. My guess is it would be a "friendly" rivalry but a rivalry nonetheless. The goldrush has somehow been delayed but once it gets started California can become quite rich and powerful.
But seeing California become unstable because of religious ethnic and immigrant issues would also be quite interesting. (You have a white Protestant north, a Mormon east, a hispanic Catholic south, and a large influx of Asians along the coasts). My guess is that at the moment Hispanic Catholics are still the majority due to immigration from Mexico. A balkanized California is possible as well.