The outskirts of the Mojave during the mid-23rd century
The Mojave settlement was a city in California on the North American continent on Earth, a fertile parkland located in what was otherwise inhospitable desert. In the early 23rd century, this was the birthplace of Starfleet officer Christopher Pike, who became captain of the starship USS Enterprise. When living in Mojave, Pike rode horses from his father's ranch into the groves with a picnic lunch. His favorite horse was Tango. (TOS: "The Cage")
Appendices
Background information
In the second revised final draft script of unaired pilot "The Cage", the parkland near Mojave is described thus; "The locale is beautifully planted, rich park and forest land." Mojave itself is also detailed in "the far horizon where we can see a distant skyline of towering buildings with beautifully delicate architecture."
A detailed background painting of a futuristic cityscape in a desert oasis was created for the parkland scene of "The Cage."
Mojave was a somewhat prophetic choice for the home of space pioneer Pike, since, in 2004, some forty years after "The Cage" was written, Mojave became the US's first inland spaceport, and the first to be cleared for horizontal spacecraft takeoff and launch.