The town of Blackhawk in My Antonia is modeled after

Cather's hometown, Red Cloud, Nebraska.

Many of the locations in her novel also exist in and around Red Cloud.

Willa's childhood home

The Burlington Depot, where the Burlington Railroad passed through and dropped Cather in Nebraska.
It played an important role in the colonization and settlement of Red Cloud.

The home of Annie and John Pavelka
(Antonia and Cuzak of "My Antonia")
This farmstead is several miles northwest of Red Cloud.

Willa Cather Memorial Prairie
609-acre mixed-grass prairie 5 miles south of Red Cloud from this photo, one can see the fields of red grasses described by Cather in her book

photos and information from the "Visitor's Guide to Catherland" at www.willacather.org