Cristobal, Michigan, is a small farm village about 20 miles southwest of New Zebedee. There is little there besides a feed store, a general store, a gas station, and a cemetery where a number of stage magicians are buried (The Specter from the Magician's Museum, 43, 90-1).
Inspiration[]
The fictitious Cristobal is based on the real town of Colon, the so-called Magic Capital of the World[1]. Colon’s magic roots stems from it being the former home and burial site of noted magician, Harry Blackstone, Sr. The Abbott Magic Company, known for manufacturing magicians' supplies and sponsoring a 4-day magic convention each August, is the town’s biggest attraction.
Even though Colon derived its name from the punctuation mark [:][2], Strickland has cleverly connected the word to the Spanish name of Christopher Columbus (Cristóbal Colón)[3] to create a name for his village.
Reference[]
- ↑ Wikipedia: Colon, Michigan
- ↑ "About Colon | Magic Capital of the World". MagicCapitol.com.
- ↑ Wikipedia: Christopher Columbus