Here's a breakdown of the key settings:
* Lonesome Dove: The starting point of the cattle drive. It's a small, dusty town in Texas, described as a place where the past lingers and change is slow.
* The Texas countryside: The journey takes the characters through vast plains, rivers, and rugged landscapes of the Texas frontier. They encounter different communities, including Native American settlements and ranches.
* The Chisholm Trail: This famous cattle trail, stretching from Texas to Kansas, is a crucial part of the journey, filled with its own challenges and encounters.
* Montana: The final destination of the cattle drive, a land promising new beginnings and opportunities.
The novel's setting is crucial to its themes, reflecting the harsh realities of the frontier, the challenges of change and progress, and the allure of the unknown. The vastness and wildness of the landscape mirror the characters' inner turmoil and the search for their own place in the world.