The Painted Desert selected Higgin to direct the film, as well as naming the stars of the film, William Boyd and Dorothy Burgess. Later in the month it was reported that Higgin would head to Arizona to begin location scouting for the film, accompanied by fellow director, Tay Garnett, however in August Higgin began scouting in the Arizona desert with the screenwriter, Tom Buckingham. It was announced that the film would employ over 300 extras. Higgin was familiar with the area, having working in and around Flagstaff, Arizona as a lumberjack prior to his entering the film industry. Towards the end of August
Colorado Desert Colorado Desert California's Colorado Desert is a part of the larger Sonoran Desert. It encompasses approximately , including the heavily irrigated Coachella and Imperial valleys. It is home to many unique flora and fauna. The Colorado Desert is a subdivision of the larger Sonoran Desert encompassing approximately The desert encompasses Imperial County and includes parts of San Diego County, Riverside County, and a small part of San Bernardino County. Most of the Colorado Desert lies at a relatively low elevation, below , with the lowest point of the desert floor at below sea level at the Salton Sea. Although the