Colorado

Colorado was a state of the pre-War United States of America, mentioned multiple times in the Fallout series.

Background

Pre-War

Inhabited for tens of thousands of years before the arrival of European colonists, the future state of Colorado was originally claimed by the Kingdom of Spain before it was surrendered to the growing nation of the United States in the mid-19th century and subsequently admitted into the Union. In the 20th century, members of the U.S. Department of the Interior in the city of Denver aided in the design of Hoover Dam, drafting plans to be used in its future construction.^[1][2]

In the 21st century, the state apparently served as a test bed for the use of cyberdogs as law enforcement auxiliary units. This is known to have occurred at least in Denver, with many cyberdogs remaining intact well into the post-War era.^[3][4][5] The United States government may also have maintained continuity of government installations in the state, with a Galaxy News Network reporter making an offhanded remark about "a mountain in Colorado [for the president] to go under and direct the events of the world."^[6]

As with the rest of America, the civilization hubs of Colorado were destroyed by nuclear detonations on the day of the Great War. However, this did not stop continued human habitation as around 2103, Paladin Leila Rahmani led the Brotherhood First Expeditionary Force across the country from Lost Hills in California to Appalachia on the East Coast, during which they reported crossing the Rocky Mountains stretching into the state.^[7]

Post-War

Post-apocalypse, many humans in the state eventually banded together and formed tribal communities, stretching across the former state up to its former capital, Denver, which had become known as the home of large packs of wild dogs. At least one tribe, the Hangdogs, settled outside the ruined city and learned to form a symbiotic relationship with the canines, developing a unique culture centered around these bonds.^[8] The Hangdogs flourished in the city of dogs for decades until a campaign of expansion by the marauding army of Caesar's Legion between 2248 and 2274, resulting in most tribes of Colorado either being assimilated into the Legion's numbers or exterminated when they resisted.^{[Non-game 1]} The campaign was championed by Lanius (before he became a legate), who became known among legionnaires and wastelanders alike for "putting Colorado to the sword," contributing to his infamous reputation as the "Monster of the East."^[9]

Of the Colorado tribes, the Hangdogs offered the fiercest resistance against the Legion as well as the longest-lasting. This was aided by the fact that they were the only tribe that lived in the area near Denver by then, resulting in a scarcity of other tribals that the Legion could assimilate to replenish their numbers, on top of dwindling supplies through unsupported supply lines; subsequent interpretations of the Denver campaign regarded it as what nearly broke the Legion's strength.^[10] However, eventually even the Hangdogs were defeated and conquered after Lanius changed strategies and resorted to capturing and burning the tribe's hounds alive, leveraging their spiritual beliefs against them. It worked, as the Hangdogs subsequently laid down their arms and were conscripted into the Legion to train its mongrels as houndmasters,^[11] though the tribe's former members were forced to renounce their beliefs as per standard practice in the Legion.^[12]

By 2281, much of Colorado, including all lands east of the Colorado River, remains under the firm control of the Legion,^[13] subject to Caesar's totalitarian rule,^[14] with numerous Legion cities and conquered tribes forming a part of the slaver empire.^[15]

Locations

• Denver
• North American Aerospace Defense Command
• Rocky Mountains
• Colorado Plateau
• Colorado River

Appearances

Colorado is mentioned several times in Fallout: New Vegas and in the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Lonesome Road, as well as in the Fallout TV series promotional video Fallout - A Special LIVE Report from Galaxy News.^[6] It appears directly in Fallout Tactics and would have featured prominently in Van Buren, the canceled Fallout 3 by Black Isle Studios.

Behind the scenes

Fallout Tactics

Colorado plays a significant role in the game, as the supercomputer known as the Calculator is located in Vault 0, based out of Cheyenne Mountain, and is the ultimate opponent of the game with several Coloradoan locations appearing in the game.

Locations

• Buena Vista
• Colorado Springs
• Cheyenne Mountain
  • Vault 0

Van Buren

Colorado also appeared in Van Buren, playing a significant role in the backstory and in the game: Before the war Denver was a major industrial center, supporting the nearby major scientific center in Boulder. However, it suffered from a poison gas cloud over the city originating from the nearby Rocky Mountain Arsenal. When the Sino-American War began, food rationing was imposed upon the region. In addition, an unemployment crisis hit due to a lack of resources. The situation came to a head when food imports from Mexico and the Great Midwest Commonwealth stopped, and food riots consumed the city. The National Guard was called in to brutally quell the unrest. An outbreak of New Plague worsened the situation, with rioters setting large portions of the city on fire. By the time the bombs fell, Denver was already in complete chaos. The city of Colorado Springs was also the site of a major breakout of the New Plague. Numerous robot production factories were concentrated around the city.

Colorado was home to a variety of factions - the Hangdog tribe controlled the outskirts of Denver, venerating the dogs that infested the ruins. The Twin Mothers tribe, under the rule of the 'goddess' Diana Stone. The Cyphers, descendants of pre-War scientists who tried to save records of important technology, became a largely nomadic tribe based around Mesa Verde. The Iron Lines tribe was based out of Circle Junction and controlled large stretches of railroad. In addition to these tribes, a faction of scientists operated out of the Boulder Dome. The Brotherhood of Steel would claim an abandoned bunker in southern Colorado, the Maxson bunker.

Foreshadowing a planned Fallout 4, Caesar's Legion was encountered in Denver, traveling to the east in the direction of Kansas, where their new headquarters is located. The Legion appears there once a year. Every few weeks a pair of scouts are sent east if the radioactive dust storms have subsided for the season. Anton, the leader of the non-NCR salvagers in Denver, is from the Midwest and fled to Denver to escape Caesar's Legion.

Locations

• Black Canyon
• Boulder Dome
• Colorado Springs
• Denver
• Mesa Verde
• Nursery
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal
• Twin Mothers Village

References

Non-game