The Geography of Wildfire

Abstract

The geography of Wildfire (1917) is among the most significant in all of Zane Grey's western romances. lt weaves together four places that shaped Grey's vision of the West more than any other prior to 1917: Lees Ferry (Grey's fictional name is Bostil's Ford), the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, and Wild Horse Mesa. Most importantly, this is the book that launched Monument Valley to worldwide fame and thus greatly shaped the image of the American West (Blake, 1995; Harvey, 2O11).