Atlas Shrugged had several well described names and places. When she moved to California by train, her train stopped in Taggart, UT hence: Taggart Transcontinental). I've been there. It is a red rock canyon with a few sparse homes and one little store. It is the visual concept for Galt's Gulch. Also in Taggart, the train track goes through a tunnel. Man, on a trip to California, note-takers can get all the inspiration in the world. Once in California, her train stopped in Galt, CA. I lived near there. Grape country. She started taking locational notes while writing The Fountainhead. Ellsworth Touhy, the villain, is named after Touhy Avenue, Chicago and the town of Ellsworth, IL. Her perceptive abilities served her well. Getting into Galt's Gulch was more about integrity than ability. Francisco d'Anconia, Galt's closest pal, pretended to be a playboy while he destroyed his family's mining business. As we learn from Atlas Shrugged, tearing down the rotting civilization can be the best way to replace it with a better one.