How would the history of New World colonization change if the Western Interior Seaway was still a thing?
quebec superpower
>>18407328Red = British colonies plus claims, orange = Dutch colonies plus claims, blue = French colonies plus claimsThe area where all the colors cross over each other is where they all claim, contentious, likely has wars fought over it.
>>18407340forgot the map sorry.
>>18407328Disregarding climatic effects which could have changed everything to the point humans never existed, Appalachia would be populated by Solutrean peoples while Laramidia would be Asian Indians.
>>18407328A couple random questions/thoughts Does warm water travel north through it or does cold water travel south?No St. Lawrence/Great Lakes means French North America as we know it doesn't exist. Rivers were vital routes into the interior. If the continent is warmer due to the seaway, that probably means less valuable furs, which is what the French were afterThe clear passage through Mexico means this is the most vital spot to control since ports in this area would allow you to control trade across the Pacific. Next control of the southern entrance to the seaway would allow you to dominate the interior. Might have rival powers camped out on opposite sidesThat narrow chunk of land in the northeast looks to be near Hudson Strait. If the new Hudson bay is warm(ish) that could be an interesting area for settlement. The area to the north still probably freezes so that's an issue connecting both sides to Europe if you don't have access through the south.
Considering the western interior seaway housed the most violent and brutal marine fauna in history it'd probably inspire seaborne horror stories the likes of which you can't possibly imagine
>>18407328Assuming the rest of the world is unchanged? Which is impossible, but we'll still take it as a given.And also assuming the native population was still pre Age of Sail, and possessed roughly the same level of technology and government as the real timeline.Then I would say nearly the entire continent is quickly colonized and exploited, and the native people are wiped out by disease incredibly fast. Then after, massive trade routes set up exploiting the easy and fast passage ways through the seaway.
