Jericho, Kansas (fictional town)
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This television-related article or section describes an aspect of the series in a primarily in-universe style. Please rewrite this article or section to explain the fiction more clearly and provide non-fictional perspective. |
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| Region | NW Kansas |
| Population | 5000 |
| Area | N/A |
| Founded | 1876 (Listed on Sign Leaving Town) |
| Website | www.cbs.com/primetime/jericho/ |
Jericho, Kansas, a fictional town, is the setting of the CBS TV series Jericho. It is described as being located in the fictitious "Fillmore County", east of Denver, Colorado, close to the Colorado border. Parts of the show were filmed in the real Kansas town of Lawrence, temporarily renamed Jericho for a day during filming. The pilot episode was filmed on location in Fillmore, California, and sets for Jericho were built at a studio in Van Nuys, California.
There was an actual location in Kansas named "Jericho". It was a post office in Larabee Township, Kansas in Gove County,[1] and folded in 1923. Oakley is the closest community that matches the fictional Jericho's apparent location, and some route numbers from the "official" CBS map of Jericho match, but Oakley is in almost entirely in Logan County.
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[edit] The setting
[edit] Episode and mapping observations on the location of Jericho
- According to an "official" map of Jericho shown on the CBS website,[2] Interstate 70, State Route 83, and State Route 40 converge in Jericho; but in the real world, Interstate 70, U.S. Route 83, and U.S. Route 40 converge in Oakley, Kansas, which is 70 miles from the Colorado border. Despite the similarity in numbered routes to the real-life convergence of highways in Oakley, the map shown by CBS does not conform to the actual road configuration.[3] A fan organization chose Oakley as the venue for a September, 2007 convention, as they believed it was the "actual" location of the fictional town. [4]
- Also according to the "official" CBS map, a railway line passes through Jericho which approaches from the east and splits into a northern route and a southern route. In the real world, this also occurs in Oakley. [5]
- Also in the pilot, Jake Green is seen driving along a two-lane highway leading from Denver into Kansas, and passes a road sign that lists distances to Jericho, Wichita, and Kansas City.
- In episode 2, Fallout, Jericho is established in dialogue as being near Interstate 70 and northeast of Goodland, Kansas. This would locate Jericho near Colby, Kansas, the only point on I-70 in Kansas which is northeast of Goodland.
- In episode 3, Four Horsemen, a map is seen on the wall which places Jericho in the same location as Ness City, Kansas.
- In episode 11, Vox Populi, Robert Hawkins is tracked via a satellite view which focuses on a location in west-central Kansas, rather than northwest Kansas.
- In episode 15, Semper Fidelis, the fake Marine unit that appears in Jericho makes a specific reference to being in "northwest Kansas."
- In episode 19, Casus Belli, Jericho is shown on a map as being located at the intersection of County Road 122 and Route 6. This contradicts all previous evidence, including the "official" CBS map.
- In episode 22, Why We Fight, Robert Hawkins accesses coordinates which place Jericho a few miles north of Hays, Kansas; and the Heather Lisinski character finally establishes in dialogue that Jericho is in "Kansas, not far from the Colorado border."
[edit] Geography
Although the show depicts Jericho as having rolling hills, trees, and a salt mine, the northwest corner of Kansas is flat farmland. There are very few trees or hills, and no salt mines. The Kansas salt mines are located in the south-central part of the state near Hutchinson, Kansas. In the first episode, Jake sees the mushroom cloud while looking over mountainous terrain a short drive from Jericho. Mountains are not visible from Kansas, not even near the Colorado border; they are visible only within 90 miles from Denver in clear weather. Because the Smokey Hill River does exist, the Smokey Hill Bridge mentioned in the third episode could exist, but it would be at least a 90-minute drive south of Jericho, and that would not fit into the time-frame of the show. The third episode also depicts airplanes landing on the highway near the Smokey Hill Bridge. In actuality, all the highways that cross the Smokey Hill River are two lanes and too narrow to land large aircraft. Pilots of large aircraft would have to glide north and attempt to land on Interstate 70 or in a field.
In the real world, Jericho would be in one of Greeley, Hamilton, Sherman, or Wallace counties. All other counties in Kansas are in the Central Time Zone, but Jericho is in the Mountain Time Zone. In the pilot, a clock shows six o'clock shortly after a bomb in Denver explodes. In "The Day Before", it is established that the bombs were to explode at 8:05 pm Eastern time, during the President's address, which would be 7:05pm in Central Time and 6:05 in Mountain Time.
[edit] Population
The fictional town of Jericho is portrayed[citation needed] as having a demographic trend opposite to what is actually found in western Kansas: there are no small towns in western Kansas that have grown from 1,000 to 5,000 in population in the past 50 years.[citation needed]
[edit] Military presence
In the third episode, Jericho's mayor mentions that Goodland, a town southwest of Jericho, has a National Guard unit and alludes that tanks seen driving on the interstate might have been of that unit. While Goodland, Kansas is the actual home to a National Guard unit, it is a small, maintenance company and does not have M1A1 Abrams Main Battle tanks, M109A6 155MM Self-Propelled Howitzers, nor M2A2 Bradleys, which are the only 'tank-like' vehicles the Kansas Army National Guard uses [1] (See page 74). Goodland is the home of Det 1 170th Maint Co (UIC: VHHA1). Since this unit is a detachment, the size of the unit would roughly equal a platoon (40-60 soldiers). Also, Goodland is located southwest of Jericho, and any vehicles deployed from Goodland to Denver would not pass Jericho on their way.
[edit] Points of interest
[edit] Town hall
- Jericho's town hall is located on the end of Main Street, intersecting Spruge Lane. This two-story building was built in 1923 and houses the mayor's office, the Jericho Sheriff's Department, and a fallout shelter that can hold 300 people.
- Since the Town Hall fallout shelter was well maintained it could be used in Fallout.
[edit] Medical clinic
- The Jericho Medical Clinic is a full-service clinic with a fallout shelter that can hold 200 people. Because the shelter had not been maintained, it could not be used in "Fallout". The Medical Center relies on a generator that can provide power for up to four days in the event of a power failure. Since the detonation of the EMP, the clinic has been on emergency power due to the low levels of diesel to power the generator left by the airdrop. The new power supplies from the New Bern windmill generators have been a great help. It currently has a staff of several nurses and numerous volunteers.
[edit] Gracie Leigh's supermarket
- Gracie Leigh's supermarket is on Main Street in Jericho. The food in the store was used to provide food at the fallout shelters in the second episode. It has a freezer that former owner Gracie Leigh used to store valuables that were traded for food. In the third episode, Dale Turner found a train full of food that was supposed to be delivered to the store but never arrived. Mitchell Cafferty murdered Gracie Leigh, which made Dale Turner the owner of the store. Dale was very close to having to close the store due to lack of stock. He has now partnered with Skyler (whom he also has a romantic relationship with), and "hired" two new employees from the refugees.
[edit] Murthy's gas station
- Murthy's Gas is owned by the Nuralco Gas Company. It has a convenience store and four gas pumps.
[edit] Church
- The church was shown in multiple episodes. In the fourth episode, there was a service for the dead refugees from Denver. Emily sits inside of it and daydreams about her wedding day in the ninth episode. A refugee center is set up in the church when new refugees arrive and became the center of a vicious standoff. According to episode seventeen, the name of the church is Main Street Presbyterian, and it was established in 1963. Reverend Frank Young is the head of this church.
[edit] Bailey's tavern
- Bailey's is a local bar that is located next to town hall. It has a jukebox and a TV with a satellite dish. According to the tenth episode, there is one case of soda, one case of liquor, and fourteen bottles of mustard in the tavern. The Bar was only powered in episodes "Vox Populi" and in "The Day Before" when the owners decided to use their "generator rations".
[edit] Strategic location
- According to "A.K.A", since the 1950s the United States Department of Defense has been doing map projections that display fall out scenarios in the event of a nuclear attack on twenty U.S. cities. Jericho is located outside the fallout zones. In addition, it has a salt mine, plenty of farm land, and access to an untainted water table. This is the reason Robert Hawkins moved his family there.
[edit] Sheriff's Department
The Jericho Sheriff's Department is a fictional law agency on the CBS drama Jericho. It provides law enforcement in the series' namesake town of Jericho, Kansas. Originally, there are seven deputies and the Sheriff. Five members, including Sheriff Dawes and Deputies Connor, Dawes, Riley, and Salem, are killed in the pilot episode.
[edit] Active personnel
- Jake Green (Skeet Ulrich) The New Sheriff of Jericho as of the Second Season [6]
- James "Jimmy" Taylor (Bob Stephenson): Acting Sheriff Taylor's first appearance is in the pilot episode, when he informs Mayor Johnston Green that Taylor's son Woody has seen a mushroom cloud over Denver. Later in the series his is promoted to Sheriff.
- Deputy Bill Kohler (Richard Speight, Jr.): Bill Kohler is one of the deputies who arrests Jonah Prowse for murdering Gracie Leigh.
- Deputy Eric Green (Kenneth Mitchell): Eric Green, already involved in Jericho's civic affairs as the town's Deputy Mayor, becomes a Sheriff's deputy because of the department's reduced manpower. He assists in the arrest of Mitchel Cafferty for stealing horses from the Green family's ranch.
- Deputy Robert Hawkins (Lennie James): Hawkins becomes a deputy at the request of then-Deputy Jimmy Taylor. Part of Hawkins' fake identity is that he was a St. Louis Police Officer. He helps interrogate Sean for the whereabouts of Mitchel Cafferty. He uses a portable satellite and a portable laptop to communicate with supposed enemies.
- Deputy Ridley Cooper: Ridley Cooper is seen in the episodes "Semper Fidelis" and "One Man's Terrorist". He is played by Jason Collins.
[edit] Equipment
The Jericho Sheriff's Department had five, 2000 era Ford Crown Victoria patrol cars, one 2000 era Ford Explorer, and one mid 90's Ford Crown Victoria; four of the 2000s Ford Crown Victoria were lost or stolen in the pilot episode along with the Ford Explorer, and the two others have been shown in episodes "Fallout", "The Walls of Jericho", and "Federal Response". The cars were rendered unusable by an EMP that hit in episode "9:02", but are shown in the background in "Crossroads", when Jake ran to tell Stanley that the town was going to blow the bridge, and Gray Anderson sits on the hood of one of the patrol cars in the "Red Flag" waiting for Bill and Rob to start up the generator left from the Chinese air drop.
[edit] Fire Department
Jericho has a volunteer fire department, with at least three fire trucks and two other vehicles. One of the trucks, along with half of the department and the Fire Chief, went to Denver, Colorado to help with the relief effort. Throughout the first season, the Jericho Fire Department has been called out three times. The first was in the pilot episode to stop a fight at Murphy's gas station and to help establish an emergency plan. The second was in "Four Horsemen" when they were called to dig out the survivors that were taking shelter in the town mine. The third was in "Federal Response" when the fire department was called out to extinguish several fires around town. In Heart of Winter they were recruited by Eric to assist in the rescue of Jake Green whose leg was pinned by a wrecked truck.
[edit] Chief Carol
Chief Carol, portrayed by Alex Carter, was the Fire Chief in Jericho. He played a major role in calming down the town's people. He was the second person to meet Robert Hawkins. He helped break up a fight at Murthy's Gas Station. In "Federal Response" it is mentioned by former Mayor Green that Chief Carol went to Denver to assist in relief effort.
[edit] Fire Captain
The Fire Captain, played by Butch Hammett, was first seen in the episode "Fallout" in which he uses the public address system on the fire engine to warn the town about the fallout. In "Federal Response", he was the lead firefighter and was referred to as "chief".
[edit] Jericho's armaments
Jericho has a small police force which had approx five men on the day of the incident. Three, including the Sheriff, were killed by escaped prisoners. The two surviving Deputies perform only basic law enforcement duties and are armed with Glock 19 pistols and four Ithaca and Remington riot shotguns which are kept in the jail locker next to the desk. The town also has CS gas grenades which were used on refugees towards the end of the first season.
Jericho organized a small group citizens initially called "the Border Patrol" and later called "The Rangers" that watches and protects the towns perimeter, approx five miles out. It has been running since the middle of season one. They are armed with various commercial hunting weapons and revolvers. It was organized due to Mayor Green's wishes to protect the town from groups like Ravenwood.
Robert Hawkins, a probable former CIA paramilitary was seen in the first show moving a case of four M-16/A2's along with the nuclear weapon. He has a variety of sophisticated weapons including a Mk-11/SR-25 Special Purpose Sniper rifle with a flash suppressor, a PEQ-2 laser aiming module and high powered optics. He keeps a Glock-19 in his possession as a personal sidearm but occasionally carries a Remington hunting rifle as a show-off piece he carries in public as a cover for his sophisticated arsenal. Robert Hawkins is also in possession of an improvised 20 kiloton nuclear weapon, "the package", which was intended for the attack on Columbus, Ohio. The only people who are aware of this is Jake Green, and himself. He mentions to Jake that the weapon could be beneficial to Jericho's defenses. Though the package is seized by the AS Army, it is later re-acquired by Jake and Rob, and it is successfully delivered to Texas.
Jericho also possesses an M1A1 Abrams tank that was confiscated from a group of con-artists posing as US Marines assessing the town's needs for relief efforts. The tank is stored in Stanley Richmond's barn. The tank was destroyed in a collision with a train during the border skirmish between Jericho and New Bern. Ten M4 carbines and Beretta M9 pistols were taken off of the fake Marines.
In the war with New Bern, Jake Green distributed significant quantities of small arms donated by Hawkins (were part of the supplies for survivors of the CIA operation to use when rallying at Jericho) to everyone able bodied and over 16 years of age. The weapons that have been seen in the groups possession are G36's, M-14's and M1 Carbines. He also hand out M-16/A2's and various handguns. The most commonly used handguns in the show are the Glock-19 and the M-9 Beretta pistols.
[edit] Emergency Medical Service (EMS)
Jericho's EMS includes at least two ambulances and four EMS technicians. One of the ambulances is run by the medical clinic, and the other is run by the fire department. They were seen in the pilot with the sheriff's deputies and in "Fallout" helping put the injured people from the clinic into the town hall's fallout shelter. In "The Walls of Jericho", they went with Jake Green, Emily Sullivan, Eric Green, Bill Kohler, and Jimmy Taylor to rescue the survivors that were at Bass Lake. In "Federal Response", they went with Dr. Green to the fire at the library to help revive Emily, who had been knocked unconscious by the live electric wire that caused the fire. They were once again called to aid in the rescue of Jake Green who was pinned under a truck and suffering from hypothermia in "Heart of Winter".
[edit] Dr. April Green
Dr. April Green, played by Darby Stanchfield, is a doctor who works in the Jericho Medical Clinic. Unfortunately, she dies as a result of complications from her pregnancy. She is replaced by a doctor who came to Jericho with Jake Green when he first encounters Ravenwood while searching for medical supplies to save his father's life.
[edit] Dr. Kenchy Dwuhalia
Dr. Kenchy Dwuhalia is brought from Rogue River by Jake and Eric. Originally a plastic surgeon in Las Vegas, he volunteers for the relief effort to escape Vegas, which without power is very unpleasant. He suffers from post traumatic stress disorder due to his encounter with Ravenwood in Rogue River. After the death of April Green, Dr. Dwuhalia performs intermittent duties as doctor in the medical clinic.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
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