The Geography of Zane Grey's Western Union

Abstract

The geography of Zane Grey's Western Union is one of the more straightforward among his oeuvre, with great faithfulness to place names, distances, directions, and landmarks. That is not to say, however, that this geography is without compelling intrigue. Indeed, through this western romance set along the telegraph route in the summer and fall of 186 1, the reader also learns much abo ut the Oregon Trail and the cultural and natural landscape of the Great Plains of western Nebraska and eastern Wyoming. Westbound travelers today following Interstate 80 and U.S. 26 can savor many of the same sights that Grey describes with his characteristic verve and accuracy.