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Hi
As a Canadian with two degrees in History, I would just like to wade into
the
Canadian history of
Deadlands with a number of observations.
The character of
Canadian Western expansion was largely shaped by geography, in the shape of the
Canadian Shield, which cannot be farmed and stoped westward land travel from
Ontario. Unlike in the United States, it was not possible for individuals
to travel to the Praries. Simillarly, it was not possible for individuals
to venture Eastwards from Vancouver. It was possible for organisations
such as the Hudson's Bay Cormpany which had a network of trading posts reaching
into the Rockies (from the East) long before Lewis and Clark. In fact the
first white men to cross the continent where HBC people. The point of this
is that organisations such as the HBC took a longer view of things and decided
that their profits would best be served by not cheating the Indians.
Simply put, wild and woolly is bad for business. Lone gunslingers and the
like were kept out. (Not that the HBC did not get involved in
violence. During the early 19th century, the HBC got involved in a turf
war with the rival Northwest Company, which one historian has compared to that
of biker gangs. The companies were later forcibly
amalgamated.)
The major bits of "romance" in the Canadian lore were the North
West Mounted Police (much later the RCMP) which was essentially formed to keep
independent yankee ("yankee" meaning any one from south of the
border)traders from stirring up trouble with the indians (BTW, the intended name
had been the North West Mounted Rifles, but this was thought to be provocative)
; the Metis rebellions led
by the Louis Riel (which were mostly a demand that Manitoba be Catholic) and of
course the Canadian Pacific Railway.
In the context of a Deadlands universe, I would expect there would be a
strong Railway building effort backed by the British (so they can get their
hands on West Coast Ghost Rock); something like the North West Mounted Police
looking into the critters; a strong HBC corporate presence, but one that can cut
a deal with the Indians and Metis, unlike the more inflexible Americans ; and a
strong Metis presence. Louis Riel is a prime candidate for some type of
magic (viz. Blessed?)
Finally, I would like to point out that the Klondike gold rush wasn't
until 1898. Mind you, there would be Deadlands potential. See Robert
Service's the Cremation of Sam McGee and the Shooting of Dan
McGrew.
Daniel
Gwyn
"You have a big heart...not as big as your mouth, but you have good feelings inside you" From the Frisco Kid |