The Real-Life Towns Behind Red Dead Redemption II

in the vast digital Frontier that is Red Dead Redemption 2 an intricately crafted open world awaits inviting players to immerse themselves in the Mythos and history of turn of the century America even though the game is set in a fictionalized and compressed version of the United States that only allows the developers more freedom to pack as much historical influences as they can into this open world and offer a far more diverse map to explore Rockstar aimed to Faithfully capture the spirit and culture of the time period but red Dead's geography is definitely its own thing I'd say don't even bother trying to assign the in game states with real life counterparts the longer you think about it the less it makes sense a single state like New Hanover somehow represents Midwestern states like Oklahoma and Kansas and all the way to Appalachia yet this is all west of the gamees Mississippi River oh when new Handover borders Le Moine which is supposed to be Louisiana amberino is Colorado new Austin is Texas but somehow so is West Elizabeth but at the same time West Elizabeth is also California you might look at this and write off the game's historical accuracy entirely but like I said earlier the this compressed version of the country allows the developers more freedom to put far more variety into the map each town has its own splash of American History to throw at you so in this video I'm going to do what I just said you shouldn't try and do which is find Historical counterparts for each of these towns let's start with Valentine it's the first town we're introduced to in the narrative and what I'd consider the heart of RDR 2's map Valentine is an archetypical Western settlement settled in the heartland's region of New Hanover which is strongly reminiscent of the American Midwest it's situated east of the Dakota River and it's a pivotal stop along the central Union railroad making it a popular location for travelers working Cowboys and Gunslingers Valentine like other towns in the game is emblematic of the late 19th century American frontier representing its own specific facet of the Wild West era it's the game's depiction of the cattle and livestock industry in the gritty rugged lifestyle of cowboys who worked it Valentine host of bustling cattle auction where ranchers buy and sell livestock with the town surrounded by smaller Barns and farmhouses its aesthetic is decidedly Western featuring wooden buildings and classic Wild West facades muddy roads and a rustic tough Frontier atmosphere Valentine of course also has all the businesses you'd expect from a western Boom Town like saloons hotels a sheriff's office and of course the key to Valentine's booming industry the train station when it comes to the historical inspiration behind Valentine I have no doubt Rockstar was influenced by Cheyenne Wyoming historically Cheyenne served as a strategic hotspot for Commerce during Westward Expansion becoming a significant Transportation Hub with the arrival of the Union Pacific Railroad much like Valentine and like Valentine it was once a rough and tumble Frontier settlement and the center of the cattle and livestock industry ranchers Cowboys and other frontiersmen made the long journey to Cheyenne by horse or by railroad to trade their livestock then stop by a Saloon or see a show while in town Cheyenne's economy and industry grew becoming the largest city in the capital of Wyoming but Valentine captures the spirit of Cheyenne's initial days as a smaller Western Boom Town you watch Valentine grow throughout the game with buildings visibly under construction and only completed in the epilog the brand new saloon smithfields has practically run Keen Saloon out of business and the auction yard is always active Valentine is here to stay it's only growing and it's got a long way to go of course livestock wasn't the only industry moving civilization West there was money to be made in agriculture Timber mining precious metals like gold and silver and most notably in the construction of railroads that transported these materials the workers that produced them and the settlers looking to move into these booming industry towns the Industrial Revolution was now finding its momentum in the west ramping up production and transportation but at the mercy of fuel and power so cold and later on oil became the lifeblood of these growing Industries and those who harvested this black gold became the most rich like The in-game industrialist Leviticus Cornwall owner of Cornwall carine and tar who just bought out a coal mine in the company town of ansburg company towns like ansburg that were owned and operated by mining companies were all over America during the late 19th century however the coal industry is generally associated with Appalachia represented in this game by the region of Rowan Oak Ridge where ansburg is located Co towns like this were established just outside of the mining site to house workers and their families ideally providing a IAL services and facilities in exchange for labor however generally the quality of life in these towns was poor to downright miserable men were overworked and underpaid harsh conditions and workplace accidents killed countless workers and families were crammed into tiny single room homes chemicals and pollution caused long-term health issues for populations and Lasting damage to the environment overall the coal industry was pretty terrible during this era and ansburg definitely captures that while quite the distance from Appalachia from what I found ansburg is Loosely based on the real life cold town of Pittsburgh California which was operated by the Black Diamond coal company Pittsburgh often just referred to as the Black Diamond had all the characteristics of a company town like ansburg the company provided housing for the residents facilitated the necessary businesses to maintain the town and influenced local law enforcement however by 1885 the boom had fizzled out and the Black Diamond company moved North to Washington as of recent Pittsburgh California is more associated with fishing and ship building than Cole or at least when someone doesn't assume you're talking about Pittsburgh Pennsylvania which of course also shares a mining history being the steel city after all not every location is a booming industry Town however like strawberry a picturesque Resort town in Big Valley West Elizabeth it's a mix of rustic log cabin Simplicity and Old World Elegance a location for East Coast City Slickers to experience the beauty of the frontier but isolated from the rough necks and Gunslingers lurking in the wild west strawberry likely takes inspiration and its namesake from the real life Strawberry California like the end-game counterpart strawberry was a quaint idealic Mountain Town nestled in the Sierra Nevada Foothills Al settled during the California Gold Rush by the 1850s strawberry's remote Scenic Beauty LED it to becoming a popular Resort it was even a stop along the famous Pony Express but by the end of the century strawberry had fizzled out into essentially a ghost town more of a historical landmark than a living breathing city today strawberry's population marker on the highway reads only 50 residents another town which shares its in-game name with the historical counterpart is Blackwater heavily reminiscent of the real life Blackwater Missouri in Red Dead Blackwater was once a humble Trading Post in your standard rough Frontier Town but with the influx of business brought by its bustling Port blackwater's economy grew rapidly and the town industrialized now the small city is populated by brick buildings paved sidewalks street lights and power lines and when you look at photographs of the real life Blackwater the resemblance to its in-game counterpart is unmistakable Blackwater Missouri was officially established in 1887 although it had been operating as a trading post on the Blackwater River decades prior much like the in-game Blackwater which also sits along the water the layout of both towns also Bears a striking similarity almost a near Recreation when you look at it from a bird's eye view however red Dead's blackwat seems to be far more influential economically and culturally than its real life counterpart potentially taking inspiration from another Missouri City St Louis St Louis of course became substantially more developed and played a prominent role in the trade and commerce of the American West serving as a transitional buffer from Eastern civilization to the Western frontier and it was a major port city as well both the in-game Blackwater and St Louis are referred to as the Gateway to the West speaking of port cities let's talk about Van Horn the Van Horn Trading Post was initially intended to be a hub of trade and commerce and a Scenic stop along the lahache river this game's Mississippi River however the once picturesque Lighthouse and docks have fallen into disrepair and the town's populace has been overrun by Crooks criminals and other low lives this den of lawlessness and debauchery draws clear inspiration from the Riverport town of Naches Mississippi specifically it's under the Hill district which along with a dead on resemblance to Van Horn also shares the town's City and dangerous reputation natches established in the late 18th century was a vital Riverport along the Mississippi River under the hill refers to the area below the Bluffs where the Riverbats docked it was a bustling and often Rowdy District taverns gambling halls and brothel lined the principal Street it was often said that under the hill the only thing cheaper than the body of a woman was the life of a man I think this statement is just as applicable to Van Horn by the 1970 natches was a ghost town home only to junkies squatters and the occasional wild chicken but when the Delta Queen Steamboat company unveiled their brand new river cruise ship the Mississippi Queen activity and natches picked back up as a historical stop along the Riverbats tour today hundreds of tourists are unloaded onto Nas's docks every day to visit Century old shops and taverns now restored okay now let's address the elephant in the room sand sand is the capital of Le Moine and the largest city on the map a sprawling industrial Metropolis nestled in the bayou with the bustling Riverport along the lahache sandon is a viant melting pot of culture and criminality it's the only true City in the game in the 20th century sense of the word the skyline is steeped in smog from factories the streets are lined with tracks for modern street cars there's an affluent French Quarter with opulent theaters restaurants and saloons but also slums with CD brothel and dive bars the city is super diverse you'll encounter NPC speaking French Spanish Chinese Italian and probably more honestly sand trades gunslinging Cowboys for organized crime at gangsters it's the red dead universe is encapsu ation of modern civilization and the hypocrisy that surrounds that notion it's different from previous entries not only because it's an actual industrialized City but because it's the only city with a clear and confirmed inspiration whereas previous towns have been a vague amalgamation of different influences sandine is Rockstar's Recreation of turn of the century New Orleans at least a compressed version of it and it's a Monumental achievement in gaming up there with the best Assassin's Creed locations in terms of accurate historical immersion when it comes to replicating this iconic city named after Philip II luk ofon New Orleans wears its French heritage on its sleeve just like s Den which is also named after a French historical figure St den of Paris who was martyred for his faith and decapitated often Illustrated holding his own head this image is referenced on the Le Moine state flag and in the narrative with kieran's decapitation by the o'driscolls in chapter 4 New Orleans was acquired by the United States in 1803 when the Louisiana Purchase double the size of the nation so I assume there's some sort of Le Moine purchase that exists in the history of Red Dead sandin is unique in that it's packed with all kinds of idiosyncrasy specific to New Orleans and one forone Recreations of buildings and city blocks so the game recreates the iconic New Orleans street cars the above the ground Cemetery due to the city being below sea level the street names are paved onto the sidewalks as opposed to signs New Orleans distinct architecture like the smaller shotgun houses or the ornate French Mansions the Quincy Harris Memorial Hall is a recreation of the Confederate Memorial in Lee Circle the game recreates the commander Palace restaurant the historical Morris Israel House Jackson Square the French Quarter the St Steven Church the Opera Guild home and so much more the detail is insane it's not my favorite settlement in Red Dead but definitely the franchise's crowning achievement from a game development perspective to get it all to

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Id: 27O2zZCoeHo

Length: 10min 46sec (646 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 22 2023