Living out a cowboy fantasy in the Wild West has always been something heavily depicted in American pop culture. There are many examples of movies (Tombstone, Stagecoach) and television shows (Hatfields & Mccoys, Hell on Wheels) that attempt to balance the atmosphere with the reality of the genuine American West in the 19th century. Video games have attempted to do the same, but none have come close to the Red Dead Redemption series. Rockstar Games’ open-world western epic depicts a conglomeration of different regions and locales of the Wild West in a condensed but sprawling open world for players to explore.
Being a highly accurate representation of the old American West, mixed with some parody of course, Red Dead Redemption 2‘s many locales are largely based on existing locations in the United States. Whether it’s the more obvious references in Saint Denis or Tall Trees, or the potentially more obscure references in Tumbleweed and the Old Tomb, numerous places dotted throughout Red Dead Redemption 2‘s map either resemble or pay homage to real-life counterparts. There quite literally are too many examples to count of real-life locations found in-game, but here are some of the major highlights compared to in-game screenshots.
Perhaps the most obvious reference to its real-life counterpart, Saint Denis in Red Dead Redemption 2 is a pretty clear homage to New Orleans. Tram Cars, Saint Denis’ version of the French Quarter, Bourbon Street, Frenchmen Street, and the St. Louis Cathedral, all of these sights are referenced in game. More iconic locations of New Orleans that players might recognize in-game are the city’s massive cemetery, as well as Andrew Jackson’s statue in Jackson Square, which are featured in many of the game’s main missions. Even the ghost stories from Saint Denis’ cemetery are based on real-life New Orleans myths of ghosts and Voodoo.
Players usually don’t spend too much time in the town of Annesburg, but it’s actual a reference to one of the United States’ many Pittsburgs. This particular Pittsburg is in California, and it’s pretty clear when considering the real-life town’s history. Becoming the west coast namesake of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Californian Pittsburg made a name for itself in the 1860s as a prominent coal mining town. Pittsburg even absorbed a neighboring township named “Cornwall,” which if that wasn’t an intentional reference, it’s an incredibly peculiar coincidence to the character Leviticus Cornwall in Red Dead Redemption 2.
Taking up the western portion of Red Dead Redemption 2‘s map, the Big Valley region of West Elizabeth is a slightly more subtle reference to Yosemite Valley. Either that or it’s a more blanket reference of the Sierra Nevada region of the United States’ west. The reason Yosemite Valley in particular is pointed out is because of the iconic “Gray’s Lupine” purple wildflowers that are dotted throughout Yosemite, which are also found in multiple portions of Big Valley in Red Dead Redemption 2. Considering Yosemite Valley was a particularly well-populated region during the American Gold Rush, it makes sense it would show up in-game as well.
Continuing with the California references in Red Dead Redemption 2, Tall Trees is a comparatively much more obvious reference to real-life. The iconic California Redwoods (Sequoia Trees) are an iconic sight for tourists on the west coast of the United States. The Redwood National and State Parks feature the only living ecosystem of the Redwood trees, which are some of the largest (and specifically tallest) trees in the world. Tall Trees is quite literally describing California Redwoods in their purest form, making for a pretty obvious citation of its real-life counterpart.
While Braithwaite Manor may have been a more obscure reference for the general public, Red Dead Redemption 2 players from Louisiana and/or the American South likely recognized this place. The Braithwaite Manor in Red Dead Redemption 2 was designed in reference to Oak Alley Plantation, a real-life tourist attraction/restaurant/inn in Louisiana. Featuring a near-identical giant main house in the middle, alongside the tree-lined driveway where the plantation gets its namesake, Oak Alley is a popular place for photos because of the photogenic main driveway.
As part of one of many Red Dead Redemption 2 mysteries, there’s a location called the “Old Tomb” in Roanoke Ridge that’s particularly disturbing. Players will stumble upon what appears to be pre-historic ruins with piles of skeletons, alongside a player-usable Viking Hatchet and Helmet. This particular location (and attached mystery) is actually a reference to the real-life American Stonehenge in the state of New Hampshire. A collection of manmade structures that collectively represent the oldest construction in the United States, much of the Old Tomb’s lore is based on myths from the actual American Stonehenge and the Viking writings found there.
One of many living ghost towns in the American West, Tombstone is a pretty popular tourist attraction for the infamous shootout of O.K. Corral. Tumbleweed in Red Dead Redemption 2 was inspired by Tombstone mainly, but has garnered comparisons to the ghost town of Bodie in its Red Dead Redemption version. According to the game’s lore, Tumbleweed was abandoned because of two reasons: the railroad through Armadillo bypassed Tumbleweed and reduced trade, while bandits and general lawlessness caused people to move away. Considering Tumbleweed becomes a ghost town between both games, it makes sense as a double-reference of the Wild West.
Lastly, this particular reference is especially notable, because it doesn’t actually reference a place in the United States. In Red Dead Redemption 2, if players explore the northern portion of Roanoke Ridge, some can come across a giant crater in the forest. This crater is just one-third of the Meteorite mystery in Red Dead Redemption 2, but is especially interesting because it references a phenomenon that occurred in Siberia. Known as the “Tunguska Event,” the crater players find is in reference to a comparatively much larger crater left behind by a meteorite’s explosion in Russia in 1908.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
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