Not far from the Utah-Arizona state line sits Monument Valley — a place John Wayne once referred to as “where God put the West.” Large red sandstone monoliths (with names such as the Three Sisters and East and West Mitten) scattered throughout the dusty desert served as the perfect backdrop to director John Ford’s depictions of the Old West. Ford filmed several of his westerns, including Stagecoach and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, which both starred Wayne, in the valley. Goulding’s Lodge, a hotel in Monument Valley, is often visited by fans of the Duke, and the proprietors offer a large selection of John Wayne DVDs for guests.
