Crossroads

The Montana landscape is an essential aspect of the novel Crossroads and of Devney Perry’s writing more broadly. Montana is situated in the heart of the Mountain West subregion of the United States. The landscape is defined by its proximity to the Rocky Mountain range, which extends from Alberta and British Columbia in Canada down to New Mexico in the United States. Montana is known as “Big Sky Country” because its open terrain and high elevation make the sky appear larger and the horizons more distant than in many other places. Montana’s landscape includes parts of the northern Great Plains, which make an ideal location for cattle ranching and some kinds of farming. Montana has a low population density of about 7.7 people per square mile (for comparison, California’s population density is about 250 people per square mile), which defines it as a quiet, semi-isolated, open space full of possibility. Many people travel there for its fishing, hiking, and skiing opportunities or for a chance to reconnect with nature. Glacier National Park and a small portion of Yellowstone National Park are located in Montana, drawing tourists and researchers from across the world. The state’s connection to nature makes it home to diverse wildlife such as elk, bears, and bison.