For over a dozen years, I called the city of Tucson, Arizona home. I loved the dry Sonoran Desert air, the perpetually sunny skies, and the ubiquitous Saguaro cacti.
Having walked through plenty of forests in my time, I can say that there are few views as majestic and breathtaking as those inside Pima County's Saguaro National Park.
I didn't know then that the long-lived species—who only begin to grow their distinctive "arms" at age 75—are only native to a rather narrow area of Southern California, Arizona, and Mexico.
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| Saguaro Habitat |
Despite this, I've watched dozens of cowboy movies supposedly set in New Mexico, Oklahoma, or Texas that feature Saguaros in the background. Even worse, I once spotted a jar of Lone Star Salsa in the grocery that sported a green saguaro prominently on its yellow label.
Much like how the color of mailboxes are a clue as to when a movie or TV show was filmed, the presence of a saguaro is an indication as to where it was filmed—usually near Arizona's Old Tucson Studios—a facility used in hundreds of productions since 1940.
So, the next time you're watching a movie or TV show set in American West, check the landscape for the majestic saguaros. If you spot some, you'll know it was probably filmed in Arizona or Mexico—but definitely not Texas.
There's more to come in the next dispatch.
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