USA Purchase Rupert's Land after the American Civil War

[Lusitania]

British Columbia is STILL the faatest route to settle much of the American gains, to say nothing of Alaska and the Yukon. Plus, we yanks tend to like to fill out the coasts and infill from there. Notice how Oregon and California werw both states before whole chunks of the Great Plains and Rockies.

This is not the booming Canadian province it would be in a few decases. This is the ass end of the empire. The population was nosdiving, it almost dropped below 30,000 by 1870, less than some towns in Oregon and California at the time. Shit, Seattle even had 10,000 people by this time, and Washington was still a territory, ans lacked a railroad at this time.

If it had gold, or diamonds, or oil, maybe Britian wpuld bother trying to maintain control, trying to convince people to go there, likely stationing troops, because again, its an enclave surrounded by the USA, and all that hassle.

But for coal - which is had in larger, better supplies literally almost evseywhere else in the Empire, including massive reserves in Britain - and timber - which they still had in ample supplies in Eastern Canada, and would still literally need to be shipped to the other side of the planet to be processed - it's way more of a drain than a boon.

Shit, even as far as just having an Imperial presence in the region, they could just keep Vancouver Island, which was still a seperate colony at this point.

Maintaining it serves the Empire very little purpose, aside from taking resources that would be better spent elsewhere in the Empire. The few reasons you list for keeping it, they're also true of almost every other British settler colony at the time, and none of them are on the literal opposite side of the planet. Why would the Empire fixate on Columbia when almost anything they could do there could be easier done in Australia, or South Africa, or even rump Canada?

Thus, it's most valuable asset to the British is as a bone to throw to the Americans. British Columbia will end the 1800s as part of the USA, but the US will obtain it entirely on British terms.

It is interesting that other countries patriotism means nothing to you. While rupersland and BC are just pieces of worthless rock that the British were just dying to sell no give to the US why is it that US was not willing to give up its worthless pieces of rock and had just paid a fortune to buy the Russian North American wasteland. When the British were as willing to buy it even for more but Russia who had recently suffered greatly against the British would not sell it to them so they sold it to the US to spite the British.

Look in the 19th century all of the major powers were in a race to color the planet in their national color. France took huge parts of African Sahara desert. Worthless but when a person looked at the map of the world there was a huge blue part of the map signifying the great French Empire. The British who had an empire that spanned the world and whose moto was “Sun never sets on the British Empire” was never going to sell ruperslsnd or BC because of national pride. Any British politician who would of even dreamed of selling a huge portion of the empire would of been hanged. No British government would of been able to make such treaty. The British were on the hunt for greater influence or power and larger empire and were not in any mood or disposition to sell it.

 

[SealTheRealDeal]

British Columbia is STILL the faatest route to settle much of the American gains, to say nothing of Alaska and the Yukon. Plus, we yanks tend to like to fill out the coasts and infill from there. Notice how Oregon and California werw both states before whole chunks of the Great Plains and Rockies.

Which is not an incentive for the UK to sell. Also... You do realize that Yukon wouldn't necessarily be part of the US in OP's scenario.

This is not the booming Canadian province it would be in a few decases. This is the ass end of the empire. The population was nosdiving, it almost dropped below 30,000 by 1870, less than some towns in Oregon and California at the time. Shit, Seattle even had 10,000 people by this time, and Washington was still a territory, ans lacked a railroad at this time.

Your 1870 numbers would appear to be wrong.

If it had gold, or diamonds, or oil, maybe Britian wpuld bother trying to maintain control, trying to convince people to go there,

Well it definitely has gold.

likely stationing troops, because again, its an enclave surrounded by the USA, and all that hassle.

Britain was stationing troops in Canada OTL until 1906 anyways. So it's nowhere near as much of a hassle as you seem to think. Also it certianly wouldn't be a big garrison, if that's what you're thinking.

But for coal - which is had in larger, better supplies literally almost evseywhere else in the Empire, including massive reserves in Britain - and timber - which they still had in ample supplies in Eastern Canada, and would still literally need to be shipped to the other side of the planet to be processed - it's way more of a drain than a boon.

Are you saying beehive ovens couldn't be set up there?

Shit, even as far as just having an Imperial presence in the region, they could just keep Vancouver Island, which was still a seperate colony at this point.

No, Vancouver Island was merged into BC in 1866.

Maintaining it serves the Empire very little purpose, aside from taking resources that would be better spent elsewhere in the Empire. The few reasons you list for keeping it, they're also true of almost every other British settler colony at the time, and none of them are on the literal opposite side of the planet. Why would the Empire fixate on Columbia when almost anything they could do there could be easier done in Australia, or South Africa, or even rump Canada?

It wouldn't require "fixation". I'm not sure why you think maintaining BC would break the Empire. If the UK was willing to put up with New Zealand, which was literally in the middle of nowhere, offered little more than farm land, and required a massive garrison to guard against the Maori, then it certainly isn't going to give up BC just because there are now cowboys in Red River.