I'll get a link later, but while scouting for a colonial location between 1605-1606, Samuel de Champlain stumbled upon what is now Cape Cod around the area of Chatham, MA. He was dissuaded from settling the area due to the hostile Nausets, according to his writings and named it Mallebar or something like that. However, in the long term, I think as a province MA was far more valuable (in climate and location) than Quebec and was also more insulated from Iroquois raids. Unfortunately it was also incredibly more vulnurable to sea routes, but an ice-free corridor to their NA colonies couldn't hurt. So good and bad.
However, let's say Champlain doesn't know about the Nausets until he settles down or they ignore him rather than attack him (or simply delay the raids for later). What would the effects be? I'm off to school so I'll have to speculate later, but:
- Either this could be a much bigger boon to French colonization if they colonize either Plymouth or Boston harbor. A much easier route to French colonies and a year-long useable harbor would circumvent a lot of the drama they had with England over places like Louisbourg.
- On the other hand, Quebec is relatively insulated from attack except by Iroquois raids to the south. The St. Lawrence river is fertile and though it was hard to get in, it was equally hard to push the French out (even in small numbers) once they'd established themselves. It's possible French MA would be another footnote in American history: a foreign colony once dominated by French settlers (like New Netherlands) but simply absorbed into whatever English (or other) polity is created in the region.
Thoughts?
However, let's say Champlain doesn't know about the Nausets until he settles down or they ignore him rather than attack him (or simply delay the raids for later). What would the effects be? I'm off to school so I'll have to speculate later, but:
- Either this could be a much bigger boon to French colonization if they colonize either Plymouth or Boston harbor. A much easier route to French colonies and a year-long useable harbor would circumvent a lot of the drama they had with England over places like Louisbourg.
- On the other hand, Quebec is relatively insulated from attack except by Iroquois raids to the south. The St. Lawrence river is fertile and though it was hard to get in, it was equally hard to push the French out (even in small numbers) once they'd established themselves. It's possible French MA would be another footnote in American history: a foreign colony once dominated by French settlers (like New Netherlands) but simply absorbed into whatever English (or other) polity is created in the region.
Thoughts?
