Science Fiction in the Intermountain West
The Intermountain West region has long had a connection with cinema, especially that of science fiction. From alien planets to mysterious military bases to the stomping grounds of radioactive monsters, the Intermountain West’s varied landscapes have been used as the backdrop to a multitude of sci-fi hits. Through examining both the sites and films themselves, an understanding can be gleaned as to why each setting was chosen to represent each film’s world.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Devils Tower, Wyoming
Devils Tower, located in Crook County, Wyoming, was the first natural formation in the United States to be declared a national monument in 1906. Part of the Black Hills mountain range, the monolith was formed from cooled magma exposed through erosion and stands at 1,267 feet tall.
The Tower…
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Starship Troopers and Hell’s Half Acre, Wyoming
Hell’s Half Acre is located in Natrona County, Wyoming, and is a 320-acre park characterized by its jagged formations and caves. Native peoples of the past used the region for the herding and slaughtering of buffalo by utilizing its many narrow canyons. At the time of its visitation by the U.S in…
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2001: A Space Odyssey and Monument Valley, Arizona
Monument Valley is an area of the Colorado Plateau and part of the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. It was used in the filming of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
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Independence Day and Wendover Air Force Base, Utah
Wendover Air Force Base, currently Wendover Airport, is in Tooele County, Utah, on the Nevada-Utah border. Constructed in 1940 by the Army Air Corps, the airbase was used by both the Air Corps and its successor, the U.S. Air Force, until 1965. While it was in operation, bomber crews trained at the…
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Planet of the Apes and Glen Canyon, Arizona
The Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is in the states of Arizona and Utah. Large sections of the region feature in Planet of the Apes, including areas such as Lake Powell.
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