Location for my fictional old west town?

[ClearDragon]

An important place in my story set on earth is to be a unique old west town that has a history of bizarre events and coincidences.
I want it to have the stereotypical wild west environment where its hot and dry most of the year and also has many large cactus around.
My first choice is south of Why Arizona near the Organ pipe cactus national monument, but I wonder if it should be near Saguaro national park instead?
What do you guys think, what location would be more interesting?

 

[pmmg]

Is there a lot of difference between the two that would make a difference in the story? They are both seemingly along the southern Arizona line with Mexico and have similar geography.

I see a superstition mountains...how can you go wrong with that? and Luana's Canyon seems like a place for paranormal stuff.

 

[ClearDragon]

Is there a lot of difference between the two that would make a difference in the story? They are both seemingly only the southern Arizona line with Mexico and have similar geography.

I see a superstition moutains...how can you go wrong with that? and Luana's Canyon seems like a place for paranormal stuff.

Ah yeah that sounds cool and mysterious. I was looking on google maps just now and theres actually a lot of interesting places in Arizona.
Also I found this place just east of Saguaro national park Google Maps

Its like a desert jungle! And theres some other small towns around there. I see an interesting spot just south of that where my town could be.

 

[Insolent Lad]

There are places about that are in some sense holy to Native Americans, such as the 'vortexes' near Sedona. They could be seen as centers of supernatural power that might have some effect on the places and people near them.

 

[ClearDragon]

So I'm still looking at places around Arizona. The most cactus seem to be around the saguaro national park, but its kinda cramped with other small towns. I'm also thinking it could be close to the Mexican border west of Organ pipe monument, theres a lot of cactus there Google Maps

I hope to go there someday and even live there! I have a bunch of potted cactus and it would be awesome if I could plant them outside.

 

[barrowyarrow]

I'd say your on the money putting your town in Arizona. The majority of what we think of as the wild west took place between Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Nevada, Wyoming, and Southern California to name a few states you could fit this dry western town. You should read up on the history of Tombstone Arizona which is basically the template for the stereotypes of the old west.

 

[ClearDragon]

I'd say your on the money putting your town in Arizona. The majority of what we think of as the wild west took place between Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Nevada, Wyoming, and Southern California to name a few states you could fit this dry western town. You should read up on the history of Tombstone Arizona which is basically the template for the stereotypes of the old west.

Yeah, I just took at look at that place. The very old buildings look cool.

 

[Karlin]

The Wild West was mostly fiction. It was a lot calmer than the movies make it seem. Still, it's great fun in movies and fiction.

I've been to Coffeeville Kansas. Not desert, not Arizona, but did have the famous shootout with the Dalton Gang in 1892. Nothing much happened there before then or after.

 

[ClearDragon]

The Wild West was mostly fiction. It was a lot calmer than the movies make it seem. Still, it's great fun in movies and fiction.

I've been to Coffeeville Kansas. Not desert, not Arizona, but did have the famous shootout with the Dalton Gang in 1892. Nothing much happened there before then or after.

Yeah I fell in love with the scenery in wild west movies. I actually am making a 3d model of my town. Its intended to have everything shown in wild west movies! It is to be one square mile in southern Arizona somewhere.

 

[Karlin]

Yeah I fell in love with the scenery in wild west movies. I actually am making a 3d model of my town. Its intended to have everything shown in wild west movies! It is to be one square mile in southern Arizona somewhere.

Just take a scene from one of those Spaghetti Westerns