Blackwater

"I found out why this town's called Blackwater, and it ain't nice."

- Milford Weaver

 is a location featured in Red Dead Redemption in the Great Plains region of the West Elizabeth territory.

Description
Blackwater is an industrialized settlement and is the largest city in Red Dead Redemption, serving the area as a thriving port on Flat Iron Lake. It features cobblestone streets with lamps, the first production Automobiles, and telephone lines. The city has also been the site of a bloody gunfight dubbed the "Blackwater Massacre" of 1899.

The town is home to a fairly diverse population and a fairly diverse variety in neighborhoods. At the south of Blackwater, the town is less developed, with older buildings, slum houses, a couple of industrial properties and even a few plots of farmland. In contrast, the north of the town is not only home to Blackwater Plaza, the center of the city's economy and the state's government, but also high-class businesses and hotels, and one road leading out of the city (towards Blackwater Chapel) populated with larger homes for the wealthiest of Blackwater.

In terms of population, there is a wide variety in terms of wealth and race. A majority of the population is of Caucasian descent, however significant populations of minorities, including Chinese and African-Americans, reside in the town. In terms of wealth, the city has populations of the wealthy (mainly concentrated towards the north) and the poor (mainly located in the south), but also has a noticeable middle-class population.

Red Dead Redemption
Blackwater becomes accessible once the player has gained access to West Elizabeth. It is by far the biggest sign of increasing government control and technology the player can see in the game. The only specific event known in its history is the aforementioned Blackwater Massacre, a large gunfight involving Landon Ricketts in 1899. The bloody gunfight apparently became an infamous event in Wild West history, and presumably led to the strengthening of the town law enforcement and the evolution of Blackwater from a frontier town into a modern settlement.

Though Blackwater is a modernized, prosperous port city, there is still crime that exists even though there are Marshals and police officers around town. This crime is exemplified when performing the Nightwatch job there. In response to this, Blackwater features a unique law enforcement system (instead of the sheriffs and deputies found within other regions), complete with a uniformed police unit and modern ranks. The Blackwater Police Department is by far the most effective law enforcement system in the game, with modern weaponry, large numbers of men and superior tactics, meaning that any hostile attacker or criminal in the town will face severe opposition.

Blackwater is the only town with two police stations. One is shared with the Bureau of Investigation, the other one is located quite close to the saloon.

All of the missions in both the Edgar Ross mission strand and the Harold MacDougal mission strand begin at this location.

The Stranger side-mission "American Lobbyist" begins and ends in the gazebo in Blackwater Plaza, with a quick trip into the Bank. The Stranger side-mission "The Wronged Woman" begins and ends at Blackwater Chapel, but also has a trip to the Blackwater Saloon, where the Stranger side-mission "The Prohibitionist" begins and ends. And the final Stranger side-mission "Remember My Family" begins here outside the Train Station.

Undead Nightmare
During the Undead Nightmare, this is one of 23 locations that must be cleared of the Undead and then protected from re-infestation thereafter. It is also where the mission "Curious Tales from Blackwater, USA" initiates. Three survivors are found defending the town, including local Gunsmith Elmer Purdy (the other two men appear to be Missing Persons Grover Boone and Orison Pratt). Other survivors found in story missions include Harold MacDougal, Mordecai Robbard's niece, Silas, Connie McTavish, Lucille Billingsgate, Archibald Andrews and Doreen and her family, stuck on the rooftop of a store.

As a whole, despite its large size, it is arguably one of the easiest towns to save, with only Cochinay having smaller hordes of undead to deal with.

Multiplayer
Several Multiplayer game modes are available at Blackwater. None are available with the original game, however. All require DLCs, as noted below.


 * Requires Legends and Killers DLC
 * Gang Shootout
 * Gold Rush
 * Grab the Bag
 * Hold Your Own
 * Shootout
 * Requires Liars and Cheats DLC
 * Stronghold
 * Requires Undead Nightmare DLC
 * Land Grab - The post to start the game is located in an alley near the docks on the southeast side of town.

Blackwater Streets
Blackwater is the only town in Red Dead Redemption with notable street names. The names of the streets are:
 * Main Street
 * Wapiti Avenue
 * Tullalah Drive
 * Quayside Road
 * Van Horn Street
 * Sisika Avenue

Amenities

 * Blackwater Chapel
 * Bureau Headquarters/Police Station
 * Cinema
 * Doctor's Office
 * First National Bank
 * General Store
 * Gunsmith
 * Newspapers (can be purchased next to the Train Station, in front of the plaza or outside the saloon).
 * Safehouse
 * Saloon
 * Stagecoach
 * Tailor
 * Telegraph Office
 * Train Station
 * Wanted Posters (can be found inside the Train Station).
 * Blackwater Hotel

Activities

 * Blackjack
 * Nightwatch
 * Poker†
 * † = Note: There are two poker locations in Blackwater, one is in the saloon below the player's safehouse, and the other is a high-stakes game room in the Blackwater Hotel, the last building on the right going north up Main St. from the Blackwater Saloon. The game room is upstairs, but the player can only enter it, and thus the game, when wearing the Gentleman's Attire.

Known Glitches

 * (360/PS3) You can still get inside the bank when it's closed at night. To do so, you need to break the window to the left of the front door, and just jump through it. You will be inside the bank with no interior, and you can look through the walls. To get out, just open the door as it opens when you climb in.
 * (360/PS3) In the saloon, if you sprint down the staircase and immediately push someone either playing blackjack, or at least in the vicinity of the table, it is sometimes possible to glitch-teleport anywhere in the area. Possible locations include the room behind the bar (with the locked door) and even a high distance in the sky resulting in a long drop and death.
 * (360/Other?) There is a way to get to the upstairs of the bank. You must get a stagecoach, line it up at the back of the building so that the driver's side is closer to the wall, shoot all the horses and Marston will be forced to get off the coach. He should go through the wall and end up on the stairs that lead to the second floor (Note: If you don't go through the wall, then you didn't get close enough to the building). This lets you get to the room where Dutch Van Der Linde shot the bank teller. If you go into that room, there will be no interior.
 * (360/PS3) Randomly while riding into Blackwater on your horse, you will find yourself and your horse on top of a roof. When jumping off of the roof, your horse will die. (Multiplayer confirmed only)
 * (360/PS3) There's a house where you can get in by breaking the window, but inside you won't find anything. Just empty spaces. Get to the southernmost house on Blackwater, break the window from the left door and jump it.
 * (360/PS3) When looking through the windows of the Blacksmith, the opposite walls disappear.
 * (360) In the hotel in Blackwater in one of the random rooms there is a window that if the player shoots it, it may pop off the wall. The player can then push the window anywhere they want.
 * (PS3/Other?) If the big window is partially broken at the Blackwater Saloon you can simply jump through the unbroken parts of the window without it smashing like other windows in Red Dead Redemption. This also occurs with the two main windows at the Blackwater Hotel.
 * The roof of the under cover area at the train station isn't actually there. This is proven when you climb up on the water tank situated at the station to the right and then jump on to the roof of the under covered area, you will simply pass right through the roof.

Trivia

 * There are two towns in the United States named Blackwater:
 * Blackwater, Arizona
 * Blackwater, Missouri
 * It is possible that Blackwater is a reference to Blackwater USA (now Xe Services LLC), a private military company that is the largest of the U.S. government's three private security contractors. Similarly to John Marston, the company acts as a federally-sponsored hired gun. See Blackwater Worldwide for reference.
 * There was originally a steamboat docked at Blackwater, and its sole function was to serve as a floating casino, the likes of which were common in the era. Evidence of this can been seen in the "Life in the West" pre-release trailer, and also in the dialogue exchanged between Marston and Elizabeth Thornton during the Stranger mission "The Wronged Woman" wherein she says "I knew his frequenting that gambling boat would be the death of him."
 * In the first mission, &quot;Exodus in America&quot;, John explains to Jake on the way to Fort Mercer that Blackwater, "...is not really a city, just a town with delusions."
 * Just north of the Blackwater station on the section of rail that curves round to the west is a telegraph pole that has been positioned incorrectly, it is actually placed on the rail. Given the circumstances this could lead to a glitch if riding the train and colliding with the pole while the train is moving, although the train itself merely passes through it.
 * It seems more likely that Blackwater is based on real life Blackwater, Missouri. The in-game town seems to look almost exactly like the aforementioned real-life town. A simple Google Maps search reveals that the town layout is the same, even the cobblestone streets, railroad, and telegraph station are replicated correctly.
 * Blackwater may also be based in part on St. Louis, Missouri. St. Louis' nickname is the "Gateway to the West." Similarly, Blackwater is nicknamed the "Window to the West," and is seen as the last city in the civilized Eastern United States before entering the Wild West. Could also be possible Blackwater may be a mix of "edge of frontier/civilization" towns, combining traits of St. Louis, Missouri and even possibly Chicago, IL (On a big lake & large economic disparity between north and south).
 * In Undead Nightmare one of the survivors protecting the town is actually the Blackwater Gunsmith and some others.
 * There are a total of 12 survivors in Blackwater in Undead Nightmare.
 * It should be noted that in the Newspapers that can be bought, it says that Blackwater will host a Wild West Show.
 * There is a building in Blackwater that is humorously named "Allthewaye Inn".
 * There is a car beside an auto business in Blackwater. Apart from one mission, this is the only other encounter with a car in the whole game. It remains static, probably because it has broken down.
 * In the Undead Nightmare DLC you are able to go to the upstairs of the bank.
 * On the side of the High Stakes Poker building, there is an arrow pointing to the docks. Above this arrow are the words "MorningStar Ferry". Not only is this the ferry John is seen leaving but, it is also the name of the ferry in GUN, another game set out on the frontier.
 * As evidenced by Clara LaGuerta, the town may have very little tolerance for illegitimate pregnancy. Or like everything else she has done, she could just be lying.
 * In Undead Nightmare, John Marston's safehouse is in the Blackwater Hotel, rather than the saloon.
 * E.H. Kretzschmar, the tailor in Blackwater, shares the same glitch as Herbert Moon. When you attack him and pull your gun out, he will start shooting at you, causing him to be shot by the law. However, like Herbert Moon, it takes about 50 shots for him to die.
 * In Undead Nightmare at a later point in the game, almost every building is marked with a "U" or the word "Unclean", usually near the front door of buildings. This is paticularly prevelant on Harold MacDougal's residence as above the door it says "Unclean people lived here".
 * Blackwater is the only place in the game were seagulls are located, however they can be heard at Nosalida.
 * According to gossip from certain Blackwater residents, the unknown Mayor of the town may be an opium addict.
 * In Undead Nightmare, Blackwater is the only town to have apocalyptic messages written in places.
 * Strangely enough, in Undead Nightmare you can sometimes hear seagulls and Dogs, but you cannot find any.

Red Dead Redemption
 is associated with the following Trophies/Achievements:

Undead Nightmare
Keeping this location free of Undead infestation during the Undead Nightmare contributes toward the following Achievements/Trophies:

Blackwater