Geographic Reference

The Atlantic Northeast region along the eastern seaboard of the U.S. It includes the states of Maine, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. The region was named by English explorer, Captain John Smith, in 1614 and was originally colonized by English Puritans. To this day, New England is known for its colonial revival and Georgian architectural styles, which closely evoke the designs that were popular in England during the time period in which British colonizers were developing infrastructure in North America.

The Colorado Gorge probably refers to the Colorado River Gorge in northeastern Arizona. Geologically created by the Little Colorado River, a tributary of the Colorado River, which forms the Grand Canyon, the Colorado River Gorge is a much narrower and smaller canyon than the Grand Canyon, and it is located southeast from the Grand Canyon National Park.

A fictional location in the vicinity of Cove, Arizona, which is almost dead center in the triangle formed by Teec Nos Pos, Arizona, Ship Rock, New Mexico, and Many Farms Lake, Arizona. In Hillerman's 1970 novel The Blessingway, Hillerman notes that there is a radar station in the vicinity of this location.

A U.S. state located in the north-central part of the country, in the Great Lakes region, bordered by Lake Michigan in the east, Lake Superior in the north, and the Mississippi River in the west. Wisconsin was inhabited by Paleo-Indians as early as 10,000 BCE, in addition to various cultures who developed in the area over time. By the time of European contact in the 1600s, it was mostly Ioway, Ho-Chunk, and Menominee Native peoples who populated the area. Wisconsin is known as America's "dairyland," as it is the country's leading producer of cheese. Agriculture is one of the state's main economic sources, due to its rich soil deposits, the result of eons of glacial activity in the region, and high water table. Madison is Wisconsin's capital, and Milwaukee its largest city.

A city located along the Brazos River in central Texas. A group of Wichita Native Americans known as the Huaco resided in the area for thousands of years before the arrival of European American colonizers in 1824, who, under the leadership of Stephen F. Austin, began settling in the area. The Huaco were gradually driven out of the area, and in 1872 were relocated to the Wichita reservation in Oklahoma. The town of Waco grew first around the construction of a bridge over the Brazos River, which served the region's growing population of ranchers and cattle herders. In 1845, the town became home to the first university in Texas, Baylor University. Throughout the late 1880s, cotton was the city's main source of economic growth, but after the arrival of the railroad in 1881, commerce and industry diversified Waco's economy.

In 1993, Waco attracted international media attention when U.S. police and military forces engaged in a prolonged, violent confrontation with the armed members of the Branch Davidian religious sect, whose compound was located outside of the city. In response to allegations that the Davidians were holding illegal weapons, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) initiated a military siege of the ranch. The siege period lasted 50 days, and ended in a dramatic shootout, resulting in a fire that destroyed the compound and killed 76 people, many of whom were women and children. The case remains controversial, as many critics believe the extreme response on the part of the FBI was unnecessary.

One of the older, major streets in Albuquerque, NM. The name Lomas means "hills" in Spanish, and is fitting with the street's route, which runs from Old Town in the western river valley all the way to the new developments in the foothills on the eastern edge of town, crossing some of the city's central neighborhoods, such as Downtown and Nob Hill. Some of the city's main institutions, such as the University of New Mexico and its hospital, the court houses, and city hall are located along Lomas Avenue, as well as numerous office buildings and commercial establishments.

The 31st state to join the Union, California was originally settled by hundreds of small, seminomadic indigenous groups before becoming the part of the Spanish Empire known as Alta, or upper, California. After the war of independence between Mexico and Spain, in 1821 California became a part of Mexico and then a part of the United States of America after the Mexican-American War in 1848. Although the name "California" derives from a 17th-century Spanish romance about an island of gold, in 1848, with the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill, California became known as "the golden state" as thousands of people migrated to California by land, over well-established trails, and by boat, thus marking the beginning of the California Gold Rush.

There are a number of iconic landscapes and architectural sites in the state including Yosemite National Park, the Golden Gate Bridge, Disneyland, Redwood National Park, Lake Tahoe, Death Valley, and Hollywood to name but only a few. The state is best known for its connections to the film industry, the wine making business, and its agriculture, which was wrested from the western deserts via huge irrigation projects and the back-breaking labor of often undocumented immigrant farm workers.

The Navajo reservation, which spreads across northwestern New Mexico, northeastern Arizona, and southern Utah, is comprised of seven major judicial districts, and many smaller chapters within each district. In Hillerman's 1984 novel SACRED CLOWNS, Greasy Water Trading Post, a fictional location, is the site of the theft of a number of antique items. Although there is no such district, chapter, or trading post in Navajo Nation territory, some names come close, such as Sweet Water and Greasewood Springs, so it can be assumed that real places provided the inspiration for the invention of this imaginary one.

A large mesa that lies southwest of the Acoma Indian Reservation in central New Mexico, rising up to 8,765 feet at its peak. The name Cebolleta (spelling varies and can appear as Cebollita) means "little onion" in Spanish.

A state located on the east coast of the U.S., and one of the original 13 British colonies in North America, initially settled in 1607 by the Virginia Company in the name of King James I. Virginia became a state on June 25, 1788. Known as the “mother of presidents," Virginia was home to all but one of the first five U.S. presidents. The capital city is Richmond, which is located approximately two hours or 109 miles from the nation’s capital in Washington, D.C. Richmond was also the capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War, from 1861 until its capture by Ulysses S. Grant in 1865.