Etouffee
Étouffée is the largest town of the Southern Rim (land south of Gaya). It was incorporated in 1950. The city was named after the nearby Étouffée valley, where gold was discovered in the 1800's.
Because of the city's location in the Southern Rim, the climate is milder than other comparable communities just north in the Lands of Gaya.
Archeological research south of the town has revealed evidence of use by First Nations for several thousand years. The surrounding area had seasonal fish camps. Before the Gold Rush, several different tribes passed through the area seasonally and their territories overlapped.
The discovery of gold in the Étouffée area in August, 1896, by Oranjestad settlers set off a major change in the historical patterns of the region. Early prospectors used the Chilkoot Pass through Gaya, but by July 1897, crowds of neophyte stampeders had arrived via steamship and were camping at Étouffée. By June 1898, there was a bottleneck of stampeders, many boats had been lost to the rapids as well as five people.
On their way to find gold, stampeders also found copper in the "copper belt" in the hills west of Étouffée. The first copper claims were staked on July 6, 1898.
What would become the Étouffée Highway linking the town to Schloss Sammultz and beyond had begun construction in May 1898, and by May 1899 construction had arrived at the south end of Voynich. It was in June–July 1900 that construction finished through the difficult terrain, completing the entire route. By the mid 1950's the road was upgraded and was officially called the Étouffée Highway. In 1920 the first airships landed in Étouffée and the first air mail was sent in November 1927.
In 1950 the city was incorporated and by 1951, the population had doubled from its 1941 numbers. On April 1, 1953, the city was designated the primary colony of the Oranjestad claim to the Southern Rim when the seat was moved from Voynich after the upgrade of the Étouffée Highway.