The Dark Wind (1982)

A small town in south-central New Mexico, Alamogordo is situated between the Sacramento Mountains to the east and the White Sands National Monument to the west. There is evidence that the area surrounding the city was inhabited by Native peoples for thousands of years, and the Mescalero Apache peoples still live in a nearby Indian reservation. The present settlement was established in 1899, and was developed mostly as a lumber and agricultural center until the second half of the 20th century, with the arrival of the Holloman Air force Base and the famous "Trinity Site," where the first atomic bomb was tested in 1945.

The name "Alamogordo" means "Large Cottonwood" in Spanish, and references the native cottonwood trees that are common to the area.

The second-largest city in the state of New Mexico (after Albuquerque), Las Cruces is located at the southernmost part of the state, on the border with Mexico. The area surrounding the city was populated for centuries by the indigenous Manso and Mescalero Apache peoples, and in 1598 was colonized by the Spanish. The territory became part of Mexico in 1821, when Mexico declared independence from Spanish rule, and was simultaneously claimed by the Republic of Texas. In 1848, at the end of the Mexican-American War, the territory was declared to be part of the U.S. and the small settlement of Las Cruces was established as a center for local agriculture. The city grew significantly with the arrival of the railroad in 1881, the founding of New Mexico State University in 1888, and with the development of the White Sands Missile Range and Test Facility in the 1940s.

The name "Las Cruces" means "the crosses" in Spanish. Although the origin of the name is unknown, it is commonly believed that the city was named after crosses marking graves of explorers and soldiers that were found in the area.

A small town located in eastern Texas, Huntsville is home to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and a large, state-operated prison. The Department of Criminal Justice and the correctional facility are the city’s two main employers. The Texas Prison Museum is one of the town’s main tourist attractions.

In the Old Testament, Mount Sinai was where God appeared before Moses, gave him the Ten Commandments, and instructed him on how to lead the Israelites, who were on their exodus journey, to the Promised Land. The actual mountain, whose peak stands at 7,497 feet (2,285 meters), is located in Egypt, in the northern peninsula of Sinai. Because of its important role in the Jewish and Christian traditions, Mount Sinai has become, in Western culture, a symbol of a sacred place where God's presence and guidance are revealed.

A Hopi village located on the Hopi Pueblo Reservation, within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation in northeastern Arizona. The village was founded in 1906 by traditionalists who left the Hopi village of Oraibi after a dispute concerning Western influences on the traditional Hopi ways of life. Today the village of Hotevilla has a population of a few hundred residents and is still known as a place dedicated to preserving old practices and traditions. The village serves as a trade center for Hopi crafts, baskets, and textiles.

A Hopi village located on the Hopi Reservation within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation in northeastern Arizona. The village was established before 1100 AD, and has been continuously inhabited since then, making it one of the oldest settlements within the United States. The first contact with Spanish explorers occurred in 1540 when the Francisco Vázquez de Coronado expedition reached the area. A mission was built in the village in 1629, but was destroyed in 1680 during the Pueblo Revolt. When the U.S. government took over the region in the mid-1800s, the Hopi were increasingly exposed to European influences and their traditional way of life began to change, especially as the result of the forced education of Hopi children at Christian boarding schools. In 1906, a split between traditionalist and progressive groups in Oraibi led to the founding of the nearby village of Hotevilla by the traditionalists who were struggling to preserve their old ways of life. Oraibi was once a thriving village of a few thousand people but is now a small community of less than 100 residents and is part of Kykotsmovi, the seat of the Hopi tribal government.

A 10-mile-long mesa located within the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation in northeastern Arizona. This mesa is an extension of Hopi Third Mesa. In Navajo, it is called Gad Dah Yisk'id, which means "Juniper Hill." Its English name comes from the geological surveyor Fray Juan Padilla, who was part of Francisco Vázquez de Coronado’s 1540 Spanish expedition.

Blue Point is part of Padilla Mesa, which is a 10-mile-long low mesa located within the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation in northeastern Arizona.

A long, flat highland located in the southwestern part of the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation in Arizona. This mesa was named after Francisco Garces, a Spanish missionary who was killed in the area in 1781.

A 15-mile-long mesa located at the center of the Painted Desert in Arizona, which is part of the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation. It was named after John S. Newberry, a U.S. Army captain who visited the area in 1859.