Freedom Colony 2068
Freedom Colony was the first colony established by Humanity. It was the site of many historic firsts, such as becoming the first self-sustaining colony on a inhospitable world, as well as the seat of the first interplanetary government. It continued to grow up till it's abandonment in 2112.
¶ Early Years
Inistially established with a population of ten people, the first version of the colony was more like a ground-based version of the International Space Station rather than an actual colony. However with funding from private companies like SpaceX, the colony grew quickly, pioneering the technology required to be self-sustaining.
¶ Open Residency
In 2072, the colony opened up residency applications for any NATO citizen. Space was still at a premium, but with private partnerships, the colony quickly grew to meet the influx of new residents. What was once more a science experiment turned into an actual colony fairly quickly. Within a few years it had expanded to the point it wasn't even recognizable.
Freedom Colony 2072
¶ US Government Retreat
In 2092 when the US Government fled to Freedom Colony, there was very little warning or preparation. The colony only had about half a million people on it, and the influx of government officials and new residents fleeing the war put a massive strain on the colony. They couldn't build living quarters fast enough and both oxygen production and food shortages were rampant for the first few years afterwards. Even the recently build 'New Washington' colony couldn't handle the strain.
By some miracle, the residents of Mars were able to squeak by, throwing everything at the problem and finding a way to make it work. By the time the third colony world was established in 2103, Freedom Colony was itself a shining example of humanity triumphing over incredibly harsh conditions.
¶ Perseverance Fleet
It was obvious to the former US Government what the establishment of the People's Republic of Terra meant. It was a race to see who could develop the first ship capable of bringing war to another planet. It was with this in mind that the whole of humanity on mars decided to dedicate every ounce of effort into designing and building the first ever interstellar fleet. While the Terrans could reach them on Mars, the chances of them reaching them on another world was so much more remote.
It was hard, a good percentage of the population was native Martian by this point and giving up everything they'd built felt like giving up. But they knew that the Terrans would beat them to building interplanetary weapons; their expertise was in surviving, not weapons manufacturing. Most of that skill and industry had been lost when the US fell. So they stuck to what they were good at; surviving.
¶ The repurposing of Freedom Colony
Since they didn't have the time or resources to build new ships from scratch, the three planned ships were each build from the existing colonies. Whole modules were ripped out of the ground and launched into space where they were turned into orbiting space-stations of a sort before the framework of a ship was built around them. The larges of these contained the primary structures of the former Freedom Colony, including the historic first modules. (After all, they had no resources to waste.)
By the time the Terrans arrived in 2113, there was almost nothing left of the original colonies.
¶ Historic Preservation
After the establishment of Calysto and The League of Allied Worlds, the surviving colony ships were maintained as museums. The original modules for Freedom Colony are considered a special treat for modern visitors.