Flag of the Province of Cascadia
Flag of the Province of Cascadia
Cascadia province evolved from three nuclei: the Yakama Indian Nation, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation , and the Republic of Hanford.
Known to themselves as the Waptailmim or Pakintlema , the Yakama, formerly known as the Yakima, were formed from a group of thirteen tribes forced onto a reservation in the eastern foothills of the Cascades by the U.S. Government in 1859. In 1985 most Yakama were farmers and stock breeders. Most of them are Catholic. Their reservation covered 1,130,000 acres and had a population of approximately 6,300 people. Despite the hardships of the early post-war years, the Yakama survived better than most of the surrounding peoples due to their better social cohesion and ready access to agricultural products from their land. The nation’s population stood at nearly 5,000 in 2011, making them the dominant power in the region. They tended to pursue a policy of armed neutrality when dealing with outsiders during the period. When the UKA conquered the Republic of Hanford in 2011, the Yakama Nation found itself surrounded by UKA occupied territory.. After several weeks of negotiations, a treaty that gave the Yakama status as a nearly autonomous Class II Commonwealth state. The members of the nation ratified the treaty by a 62% majority on November 3, 2011.
The Colville Reservation was established in 1872 with members of twelve tribes from theWashington State area, including: : the Colville, the Nespelem, the San Poil, the Lake, the Palus, the Wenatchi (Wenatchee), the Chelan, the Entiat, the Methow, the southern Okanogan, the Moses Columbia and the Nez Perce of Chief Joseph’s Band. The reservation covered some 1.4 million acres in 1985, with a population of approximately 5,000. An additional 2,700 enrolled members lived nearby. Like many Native American peoples, the Confederated Tribes survived the War of 1985 in much higher proportions than did their non-Native neighbors. After the deadly winter of 1985-86, the Confederated tribes embarked on a wave of conquest to recover large areas of their aboriginal lands. In a series of wars in 1986, 1989, 1991-92, and 2002, the Confederated Tribes conquered most of the original lands granted to them in 1872, with more than two million acres under their control. When the UKA overran the Republic of Hanford in 2011, the Confederated Tribes had been at war off and on with the republic for nearly fifteen years. The UKA offered the Tribes membership in the Commonwealth that year, but the offer was rejected.
Only two missles were launched in 1985 at the Hanford facility of the U.S. Department of Energy. One misfunctioned at launch, and the other was so badly misaimed, no one is exaclty sure where its warheads landed. By this fluke of fate, the nuclear weapons and research facility survived intact. The high security of the place allowed it to survive the intial years of the aftermath. A coalition of local leaders and facility administrators used the assets to set up a government centered on Richland, just outside the facilities gates, which soon evolved into the Republic of Hanford.
The republic's leaders decided to maintain the status quo as much as possible in their area. They were much aided by the only reliable source of electric power in the area from their own reactors. The most noticeable asset of the republic was a refurbished Goodyear Blimp used to overawe its neighbors.
The republic was hostile to the Portland government, no matter who was in power at the time. After the fall of the old Portland regime, exiles fled to the Hanford Republic, where they organized a force in exile, the Free American Legion. The exiles began a series of raids over the next five years that culminated in Portland General Randall Hough's unauthorized invasion that overran the republic in a few weeks.
The occupation of the republic was a difficult thing for the Portlanders during the first few years. Soon after the fall of the city of Richland, Prime Minister Ffolkes was assassinated by guerillas. Repression by the Portlanders was brutal. Police Lieutenant General Roger Purcell rounded up 1,500 "suspects" who were kept in a camp outside Richland. During the winter of 2012-13, a famine swept over the region as a result of the disruption of the already primitive transportation systems by the guerillas. General Purcell ordered that all rations be withheld from the imprisioned suspects, all of whom starved to death, while few people outside the camp starved. While many of the ringleaders of the rebels died in that camp, the whole affair left a legacy of bitterness against the UKA authorities that remains to this day.
Cascadia consists of three main geographic regions: the Columbia Plateau, the Northern Cascades, and the Rocky Mountains.
Columbia Plateau: Most of southern and central Washington is covered by the Columbia Plateau land area, also referred to as the Columbia Basin. This area is elevated from 500 to 2,000 feet above sea level and surrounded by higher lands It's part of the largest lava plateau in the world. The Columbia Plateau lies to the south and the east of the great bend in the Columbia River. Features of the Columbia Plateau are described as "coulees" and "scablands." Coulees are dry canyons with steep walls cut into the lava thousands of years ago. When glaciers blocked the Columbia River on its way to the Pacific, rushing water and ice cut trenches across the plateau. When the glaciers melted and the Columbia River was free to fall into its present course, these rivers and streams dried up. Grand Coulee and Moses Coulee are the most notable of these canyons. Scablands are patches of lava lying on the surface of the plateau
The Palouse country of Cascadia lies in the southeastern portion of the Columbia Plateau. The rolling hills of Palouse Country provide a deep fertile soil that supports much of Cascadia's wheat farming.
The Blue Mountains lie in the deep southeastern corner of Cascadia. These mountains, lower than the Cascades or the Olympic Mountains, provide land for hay and grains in the valleys and summer grazing for livestock on the slopes.
Cascade Mountains: To the east of the Puget Sound Lowlands the great Cascade Mountains rise high, several peaks extending more than 10,000 feet into the sky. Mt. Rainier, the highest point in Washington is located in the Cascade Mountains along with Mount St. Helens which errupted in 1980. This 700-mile chain of mountains is marked by several volcanic peaks, most of them inactive. Besides Mt. Rainier (14,410 feet), Mount Adams (12,307 feet), Mount Baker (10,778 feet) and Glacier Peak (10,541 feet) are prominent in the Cascade Mountatin range. All of the higher mountains support glaciers and permanent snow cover on their upper slopes. The lower slopes and lower mountains are carpeted with beautiful, lush forests, most located within designated National Forest areas.
Rocky Mountains: A portion of the Rocky Mountains cuts across Cascadia in the northeast corner of the state. The Cascadia Rocky Mountains are called the Columbia Mountains and consist of ridges and valleys cut by the Columbia River and its tributaries including the Okanogan River. Minerals such as copper, gold, lead, limestone, magnesite, silver and zinc are found in the Columbia Mountains.
Provincial Capital: Richland.
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