At the start of the Great War, the U.S. attempted to invade Canada on several places on the border, including from Michigan into Ontario. The offensive stalled at London.[4]
The city of Pontiac, Michigan was the center of the U.S. automobile industry. During the Second Great War, Pontiac also became a major production center for barrels.
Wilberforce only includes the southern portion of Michigan. The Upper Peninsula is part of New Guernsey in the Georges' timeline, along with OTLWisconsin and Minnesota east of the Mississippi River. These names are given only on the frontispiece map; in the novel, the province remains unnamed.