Western Grandeur

Our mental image of the “western United States” has been shaped for many if not most of us by movies, especially for those who have not actually visited or lived in the “west.”

Most of those movies have in one way or another misrepresented elements of the west by the filming locations chosen.

A good example would be the 1950 movie starring John Wayne titled, “Rio Grande.” Most of the filming location used for this movie was outside of Moab Utah and the scenery there has little similarity to the Rio Grande River along the Texas/Mexico border. A formation known as “The Fisher Towers” appears several times in that movie. These striking sandstone, mudstone, conglomerate towers have also been featured in several other films such as “Lightning Jack,” “The Comancheros,” “City Slickers II,” “Westworld,” “Wagonmaster” and “Geronimo.” Another location, several hours drive away featured in many “westerns” has been Monument Valley on the Utah/Arizona border.

The Fisher Towers are a collection of several pillar-like formations that range in height from a couple hundred feet to the 900 foot “Titan.” They have also been featured in television commercials providing a dramatic backdrop. While not constructed of the best or most reliable rock, they still attract a number of rock climbers from around the US. But when many of us think of the “west,” images like this one come to mind because it brings together all the elements that make the “west” what we imagine it to be: dramatic sandstone-like spires and buttes, distant snowy mountains, open prairie, a life-giving river, and of course, the setting sun as the cowboys ride away.