California (Yellowstone: 1936)

California is a former state of the United States of America, located in the Pacific Region of the country. Before the Yellowstone Eruption is was one of the country’s most populous state, as well as being the third most extensive by area, containing major cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco.

California was located largely outside the radius of the Yellowstone Eruption and was not badly damaged immediately. As a result the state government in Sacramento continued to operate as one of the only state governments on the west coast, and attempted to preserve the former state’s territorial integrity. In the years following the eruption, the state faced numerous natural disasters as a result of the eruption, notably ash and acid precipitation, increased rainfall causing flooding and mudslides, and minor earthquakes. Although the state was not overly dependant on the Midwest for its agriculture, preventing total collapse, the state also faced food shortages and an increasing refugee crisis, leading to conflict with neighboring state remnants. Its location on the west coast also forced the state to be involved in the Pacific War of the late 1930s, which further strained the state’s resources.

Aftermath of Yellowstone
On the morning of July 18, 1936, the day of Yellowstone’s fateful eruption, Frank Merriam was serving as governor in Sacramento. Although a conservative politician and member of the Republican Party, having defeated famed author and progressive Upton Sinclair in the 1934 gubernatorial election, once in office Merriam had come around on a number of more liberal policies. First in 1934 he proposed a tax increase of nearly $107 million, instituting a personal income tax similar to the one created that year by the federal government, and raising sales taxes by three percent. The law was passed by the legislature the following year, but not before Merriam gained the animosity of his Conservative backers and supporters, including newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst.

The pressure wave generated by the colossal eruption at Yellowstone was felt as far as California, which were initially assumed to be caused by a possible earthquake. Merriam called a special meeting of the executive branch soon after, and by that time ash had already begun to rain down in Sacramento. Overall California was largely outside of the most severe ash radius, thanks in part to the wind patterns of that July. Los Angeles and southern California would report receiving about an inch of ash, San Francisco would would receive almost two. The most northeastern points of California near Reno would be hit the hardest in the immediate aftermath, with over three inches of ash being reported.

By midday a state of emergency was called by Governor Merriam, as it soon began to become clear how severe the incident at Yellowstone truly was. The national guard and any military personnel stated in the state were ordered to assist in evacuation and relief efforts. In the coming weeks the state saw a refugee crisis unfold, as thousands of people fled west from Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and other states, as well as from northern Mexico. In the immediate aftermath the state also so extensive food shortages. California was still better off than most states in terms of agriculture and food supply, as the state was not dependant of the Midwest, which was now completely destroyed, however, the states’ farms were still damaged in some places by ash, and the growing refugee population only strained matters.

As the months continued following the eruption at Yellowstone the situation became more dangerous. Southern California was plunged into a “water year”, during which time rainfall heavily increased. The previous record for rainfall, caused by the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883, was quickly broken, and massive flooding occurred near Los Angeles, as well as mudslides exacerbated by the high amount of ash and debris caused by the eruption and subsequent fires. Additionally the state witnessed frequent acid precipitation from the large amount of sulfur dioxide released into the stratosphere.

To help mitigate the food shortage crisis the government in Sacramento ordered large scale regulations to farms in the state, offering land and monetary subsidies to farmers to expand. New farms were also created in the northern half of the state, with the government mandating that crops such as peanuts, cassava, and sweet potatoes, which are quick-ripening. The government also focused on clearing ash from farmlands during the first several years after the eruption. In the northeast of the state there was damaging deforestation, especially in the Modoc and Tahoe National Forests, which would be slowly repaired or replaced in the following decade.

Initially most of the state cooperated with the government in Sacramento, allowing California to become one of the few largely still functioning states on the west coast. A notable exception was the city of Los Angeles, where communications were badly severed. Additionally the city’s mayor, Frank L. Shaw, purposely tried to isolate the city from the outside world. In general the south of the state was largely cut off from the will of the government, and any cities still in contact with Sacramento nonetheless acted highly autonomous.

One such city still cooperating with the state government was San Diego, led by mayor Percy J. Benbough. The city had been a hub of military buildup in preparation for the possibly looming war with the Japanese, prior to the Yellowstone eruption, and Benbough found himself in command of a large garrison of personnel from the national guard, army, and navy. Benbough quickly opened communications with nearby Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, led by Major General Clayton Barney Vogel, the Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, and other nearby installations, which would play a crucial role in helping to restore order to the city and surrounding areas. In nearby Coronado, California, former mayor and famous retired general Joseph Henry Pendleton, managed to rise to the head of the town following the death of the town’s mayor, and became an advisor to Mayor Benbough in San Diego.

With the assistance of the military personnel, Benbough managed to secure as far north as San Clemente, seizing or creating farmland in the area. As a result the city would play a crucial role in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. In late 1936, when communications were received from the government in Sacramento, Benbough was left with a tough decision of whether or not to recognize and obey Governor Merriam. Noting the crisis erupting in nearby Los Angeles, the people of San Diego decided they were better off cooperating with the rest of the state as best they could, and San Diego aligned itself with Merriam’s government, although they remained largely autonomous.

Outbreak of the Border War
With San Diego answering to the state government, they were soon placed on the forefront of the growing refugee problem. Across the border Mexican cities such as Tijuana and Mexicali had fallen largely into chaos, and there was a growing number of refugees arriving into the relatively more stable and rich southern California. With resources straining Governor Merriam ordered the state to begin turning away refugees, from all areas, although the action largely targeted the Mexican border, thanks in part to xenophobic attitudes against Mexicans in place since the Great Depression. Additionally a report that Mexican cattle was grazing on the American side of the border near Organ Pipe National Park, and that settlers were potentially raiding American farms, turned public opinion strongly against the Mexicans.

In November 1936 US marines from San Diego fired upon an armed group of Mexicans seeking to enter the city, resulting in over thirty civilian deaths, the first major incident between the Americans and Mexicans. Additional skirmishes occurred near Imperial Beach, as the region south of the Tijuana River become the site of large shanties and towns of refugees, mostly from Mexico. In December Benbough ordered a military operation into this region to oversee and organize the relief efforts, however, by the end of the month this had quickly escalated into a military occupation, with American soldiers containing refugees within the small territory, and using the region as a base of operations to attack other migrants.

Nicknamed “Border Town”, the location became the site of numerous conflicts between American personnel and the Mexican citizenry. By the end of the year numerous militias had been formed by both sides, in Border Town, San Diego, Tijuana, and elsewhere. The Mexican militias in Tijuana were loosely centralized under Manuel Vallejo, a former military officer, and he would begin organizing proper raids into southern California. The small number of farms that supplied the San Diego region became under threat, and military garrisons were stationed at these locations by the end of the year.

Under pressure from the people of San Diego, and the especially hawkish military commanders of the city, Benbough ordered a full military operation, nicknamed ‘’Homecoming’’, in January 1937, targeting Mexican positions in Tijuana and other nearby towns. In retaliation a full scale uprising broke out in Border Town, which temporarily pinned down some of the American forces, and also led to an uprising that damaged southern San Diego proper. The American forces in the region would spend the next week restoring order in the outskirts of the city, while simultaneously invading the city of Tijuana.

During this time California and the rest of the world was being plunged into one of the coldest winters in recent history, and San Diego soon saw its resources strained. Supplies from the north of the state helped to mitigate food shortages, but at the same time the city found itself struggling to support a push into Mexico. Meanwhile in the east American forces also crossed into Mexicali and Yuma. Neither action would completely stop the flow of Mexican refugees or the reprisal attacks, although California would develop a military presence near Yuma that evolved into a checkpoint for refugees from Arizona.

The “California Border War” would ultimately continue for decades, although in 1938 there was a lull in the fighting, and the Californians begin construction of a wall running along the northern border of Tijuana. Later that year a cease fire would be called and a border wall was partially erected further to the east running further south than the pre-eruption American-Mexican border, leading to the creation of a limbo area devastated by frequent crime and food shortages. Numerous refugee camps and towns in the region would develop into isolated and segregated slums, often times run by a particular militia. These camps soon littered south and southeast San Diego, as well as the area around Tijuana.

Pacific War
One of the main ways the state of California remained in contact with the rest of the United States was through the United States Navy, which was operating in cities such as San Diego and nearby Hawaii at the time of the Yellowstone Eruption. The state saw a large number of ships operating in the region return to California in the ensuing weeks, with the city of San Diego in particular becoming a makeshift base of operations for the Pacific Fleet, which would slowly evolve into the American Pacific-Asiatic Zone, a loose political and military alliance of former American territories in the Pacific Rim.

Mayor Benbough worked extensively with the naval command, who in turned aided the Californians in conflicts such as the California Border War, and in aiding in relief efforts in general. In the meantime the US fleet began preparations to move its headquarters to Honolulu, Hawaii, near the major base of Pearl Harbor.

When conflict broke out between the American alliance and the Japanese in late 1938 Californians were among those who volunteered to serve against the Japanese, although the government of California was not officially aligned with the alliance. Governor Merriam had been a supporter of the military actions leading up to the war with the Japanese, which proved to be an unpopular stance. Although some Californians, particularly San Diegans, favored the alliance with Hawaii and other states, the majority of Californians were against a costly conflict when the state itself was struggling, and Merriam’s support for the war was a large reason for his failure to be reelected in 1938.

Jones Government
In November 1938 the first election since the eruption took place. Although a large and extensive process, the government under Merriam had pushed for retaining American ideals of democracy, and the election was carried out, although with a much lower turnout rate than usual. Merriam would lose the election to William Moseley Jones, a Democratic representative from Montebello. Before the eruption Jones had been an advocate for Roosevelt’s New Deal, and under Merriam supported a greater focus toward fighting poverty across the state.

Jones’ government immediately faced problems in early 1939. The government authority had begun to break down, as evidenced by the small turnout for the recent election, and most cities had begun to break away from the state or fall into internal conflict. Additionally the problem of refugees disrupting the state’s resources still loomed. To tackle the latter problem military forces were deployed in the region east of Sacramento, in an effort to retake eastern California and secure the route into California from Reno and Carson City. It was discovered that the efforts to rebuild the national forests of the region had been riddled with corruption and conflict, with Tahoe National Forest now home to migrating tribes of people from Nevada, criminal activity, and border conflict.

Jones’ deployment would remain in the region for most of his term, initially to restore order to the region. The mountainous and forested terrain made any full scale military operations difficult, and initially the armed forces focused on securing the roads leading into the region. They came into conflict with settlers of Lake Tahoe, a local hub for Nevadan refugees. Eventually the operation panned out to include securing the city of Redding as well, in order to monitor all people entering the state.