History of the New California Republic The New California Republic was born out of the remnants of the survivors of Vault 15 , a sister vault to Vault 13 that opened earlier and released its occupants out onto the wasteland . Abandoning their vault ( after scavenging most of what they could from the surviving technology and collapsed lower levels ) , the former residents of Vault 15 founded the small walled farming community of Shady Sands , a town midway between Vault 13 and 15 . In 2161 , the community was led by Aradesh . Rule Under Tandi and Enclave Conflict . Securing the South . Following the rescuing of Tandi by the Vault Dweller , the village of Shady Sands began to grow and became an economic power within New California . They would soon replace the Hub as the most influential area and in 2186 the New California Republic was formed and Shady Sands was renamed NCR . The ideals of the NCR would spread over New California very quickly , with their morals representing that of the old world . By 2189 they would already consist of their first five states and would become aware of the Brotherhood of Steel . These states were Shady Sands , Maxson , Hub , Los Angeles and Dayglow . In 2196 , the first president of the NCR , Aradesh , would die . In response , the council of the NCR would unanimously elect his daughter , Tandi , as the nation ' s second president . By 2241 , the city of Junktown would join the NCR state of Shady Sands . Also around this time , the NCR ' s vast supply of brahmin would be key in the growing world of economics . This would give them meat for food , leather for clothing and force competition with other growing states such as San Francisco and Vault City . In 2241 , the NCR would face problems from the New Khans , run a propaganda campaign against Vault City and aim to annex the squatter town that had taken up residence out of the ruins of their old vault , Vault 15 . Hired by Tandi , the Chosen One , would act as an agent of the NCR and wipe out the New Khans , allowing the NCR to annex Vault 15 . The Enclave . While the NCR ' s holdings in the north would make them aware of the Enclave , initially they would take no action against them . Their then - allies , the Brotherhood of Steel , were not friendly towards the Enclave , and thus the NCR would remain pacifistic towards them for several years . Eventually , in 2246 , the NCR would attack with the Brotherhood and eradicate the presence of the Enclave in what became the NCR - Enclave War . The NCR would take little from Navarro other than technology they could not understand and leave the Oil Rig and the main base abandoned . The NCR would continue their war on raiders , nearly eradicating the presence of the Vipers , Jackals and whatever was left of the Khans . The three raiding groups would then flee to the Mojave Wasteland . Following 2242 and during the NCR - Enclave War , the Brotherhood of Steel relations with the NCR would begin to sour . They would continue their xenophobic nature to the point that during the NCR ' s initial movements in their war on raiders , they would refuse to cooperate with the NCR and sometimes attack them outright . In 2248 , Tandi dies at the old age of one hundred and three , leaving Joanna Tibbett to take over as the third president of the NCR . The remnants of the Enclave would hide within the NCR and the Brotherhood of Steel , but many would be arrested for war crimes . They would eventually push further out and leave NCR territory for the Mojave Wasteland in 2253 . Chasing both the Enclave and the three raider tribes , the NCR would push their scouts towards the Mojave Wasteland . Thirty - eight NCR citizens , most likely all scouts , would be massacred by the raiders in the Mojave , further pushing the enmity between the Khans and the NCR . The massacre would result in Joanna Tibbet in being voted out of the office of president and being replaced by Wendell Peterson . The Enclave would largely be forgotten by the NCR whose main focus appeared to be the raiders of the Mojave . Unknown to the NCR , Mr . House had realized their presence and would begin the process of rebuilding New Vegas using the securitron s with the help of the Three Families . Peterson would dispatch three battalions of NCR infantry to the Mojave Wasteland . Economic Troubles . By the time of the NCR - Enclave conflicts , the economy of the New California Republic was struggling to pay its workers . Porter , as foreman of his mining team , the 370 , became increasingly concerned over the likelihood of being able to pay his workers . He decided to take the extreme measure of rallying them together to raid the NCR Storehouse and Bank . Porter led the 370 team to the Storehouse and Bank , where they set explosives and blew the vault open . Before the money could be taken , officers of the NCR swiftly appeared on the scene , thanks to D . C . Lowery tipping off Lt . Gov Dodge out of the fear he would not be paid either way . The 370 team workers were subdued and arrested . After their arrest , the members of the 370 team faced the threat of torture and branding in the NCR prison system . In 2249 , Lt . Gov . Dodge , under the impression Porter knew where the money was , organized a breakout for his team in hopes that Porter would loop around and attempt to recover the money . It only resulted in another worker team , the 308 , escaping . Despite the 370 team not actually taking the money , it was left vulnerable . It still disappeared from the vault , totally ruining the chances of economic recovery . The civilization that was NCR entered a slow death . From that point onward , the New California Republic faced severe economic troubles that would shake the entire government to its core . The economy had only worsened as decades went by . By 2281 , NCR currency was no longer backed by gold , after the Brotherhood of Steel destroyed NCR ' s gold reserves . The NCR dollar still has value due to the use of commodity rare metals . Due to the elimination of the gold reserves , the money has become devalued , with a hundred - dollar bill coming out to around 40 bottle rather than its face value , even in NCR territory or shops . This means that the exchange rate for NCR Currency to Bottle Caps is about 1 Bottle Cap to 2 . 5 NCR Dollars . Entering the Mojave ; Various Wars . New Vegas Treaty . In 2253 the NCR arrived in the Mojave Wasteland . Later that same year Mojave raiders massacred 38 NCR citizens . The NCR learned of the presence of the Great Khans in the Mojave in 2267 . By 2270 , the NCR made a name for themselves in the new wasteland , " pacifying " it by killing all of the tribes around Bullhead City . The NCR steadily increased their power in the Mojave in the following years . In 2271 , the Ranger Unification Treaty was signed , allowing more NCR citizens to move into the Mojave and for the NCR to establish the Mojave Outpost in 2272 . Simultaneously , relations with the Brotherhood of Steel , an ally in the past , disintegrated into war , greatly disrupting the balance of power in New California . Though the Brotherhood would have the advantage initially due to their greater technology and skills with weaponry , the NCR was able to bounce back in the war due to their greater numbers . However , NCR and Brotherhood relations in the Mojave remained neutral for the time being . The NCR encountered Caesar ' s Legion for the first time in 2273 , with Sterling being tortured by Caesar ' s Legionaries , Aaron Kimball would become president later that year . However , the Republic , preferring to focus on the Brotherhood of Steel and the Mojave , remained ignorant of Edward Sallow , ignoring the growing legion . Military Conflicts . The NCR scouts achieved success in the Mojave by finally reaching Hoover Dam in 2274 . Piquing the interest of Mr . House , the latter reactivated New Vegas and sent out some of his forces to Hoover Dam . When NCR forces arrive at the ruins of Las Vegas , they are able to return home with stories of a city of lights . The two factions would parley , coming to the resolution that allowed the NCR to control Hoover Dam and exert 5 % of its power to New Vegas , which was to be rightfully owned by Mr . House and the Three Families . This resolution was chartered under the New Vegas treaty . Soon after , the NCR converted the old McCarran International Airport into the Army base Camp McCarran ; the process was completed in 2275 . That same year , conflict finally began with Mojave Brotherhood of Steel . While combat continued in New California , the NCR uncovered the Mojave Brotherhood of Steel ' s base to be at HELIOS One . The NCR cut ties with the Followers of the Apocalypse and founded their own Office of Science and Industry . During the year , the NCR also become aware of Caesar ' s Legion , becoming apparent of their growing forces along the Colorado River . The Brotherhood launched a strike on the NCR ' s gold deposits , ambushing and destroying them . For that reason , expecting war with the Legion , the NCR decided to deal a crushing blow to the Mojave Brotherhood in 2276 via . By taking over HELIOS one , the NCR was unsure if their war with the Brotherhood in the Mojave was truly finished . For the next five years the NCR kept a steady watch over Brotherhood activities , well aware of their continued presence in the Mojave . The very next year , 2277 , Caesar ' s Legion attacked the NCR in what would be known as the First Battle of Hoover Dam . Though the NCR won the battle through strategy and pure luck , it was a pyrrhic victory as they too would be weakened . The NCR was severely disadvantaged , losing control of half the dam and expecting a second battle to take place . The war with the Brotherhood began to show its aftermath as the NCR ' s gold - backed currency began to lose its value . The NCR , in effect , was forced to lease electricity and fresh water to the Strip and other communities in the Mojave to maintain their position in the wasteland . In 2278 , the NCR carried out the Bitter Springs Massacre against the Great Khans , a decision made to ensure that no raiders attacked them in their weakened position . The massacre and a subsequent battle at Red Rock Canyon finally bringing an end to their longstanding war with the Khans . The event was blacked out from the NCR ' s press in an event of media censorship . By 2281 , the NCR , took more of an expansionist role . Tension in relations with many factions in the Mojave Wasteland increased due to this new attitude . The Legion , under Legate Lanius , was gaining power and numbers again and got many to believe that it was stronger than the NCR . Once again growing wary of the Great Khans , the NCR set up a base near the Khans , occasionally sending scouts to the area . They would not engage in conflict , with the NCR aiming to maintain the ceasefire . In New Vegas , the NCR would also begin to grow reckless and aim to seize more power from the Three Families and Mr . House . The NCR , aiming to increase their presence in the Nevada , would spend most of the year rebuilding the South Nevada Correctional Facility , which they would rename the NCR Correctional Facility . The NCR would initially use the convicts in the facility to rebuild the train tracks located near the highway . When the Legion returned , they recalled many of their soldiers to the Colorado River . This would prove to be costly and the convicts overthrew the remaining soldiers and took control of the facility . Taking the name Powder Gangers , they would constantly become a thorn in the side of the NCR . The NCR would remain ignorant of the Powder Gangers , though they would plan a recapture of the correctional facility . A major blow to the NCR saw Nipton razed to the ground by the Legion . Led by Vulpes Inculta , a group of Legion troops set a trap for NCR troopers and Powder Gangers in Nipton . To show the town ' s apparent corruption , Vulpes Inculta staged a lottery where only the individual holding the winning ticket would be spared . Following this , the remaining residents were either killed , crucified or taken as slaves . The mayor of Nipton , who had attempted to sell out the NCR troops and Powder Gangers so he could gain a large sum of caps , was burned alive . This atrocity was soon followed by other setbacks for the NCR . Soon after , they would lose their presence on the east side of the Colorado River after losing to the Legion in the Battle of Willow Beach and the Battle of Arizona Spillway . The Legion would then begin to take land on the west side of the river from the NCR , by obliterating the camp Nelson and flash - incinerating Camp Searchlight with a nuclear device to transform survivors into feral ghouls . This would put the morale of the NCR soldiers , led by Lee Oliver , at an all time low and put desertion rates in the NCR Army at an all time high . The main camp on the front lines is Forlorn Hope , which is full of depressed , constantly embattled soldiers . They are holding a defensive line across the Colorado River and preparing for the upcoming battle on the Hoover Dam that could decide the fate of the entire area . NCR forces are spread far too thin across the front to prevent the Legion from crossing the river , as illustrated by the attacks on Nipton and Ranger Station Charlie . The NCR ' s main goal in the war with the Legion is to annex New Vegas by wresting it from Mr . House . This is to get them a more tactical advantage over the Legion , however , due to the Legion having had gained many territorial positions on the west side of the Colorado River , the NCR is unable to do so . This is because annexing New Vegas will require troops , many of whom will not guard various NCR outposts in the Mojave at a possible annexation and Mr . House ' s Securitron armies , even at Mark I , would leave the NCR army injured enough to allow a takeover by Caesar . The NCR is also overly cautious of Mr . House , as he aims to upgrade his Securitrons to the Mark II OS , something that will put the NCR at a serious disadvantage in a possible war as the sheer force would likely wipe out NCR control in the Mojave .