New England
regionReal-world: New England, United States
The region shaken, the night before Wilcox's dream, by the most considerable earthquake tremor felt there for some years; its 'salt of the earth' answered the dream inquiries almost wholly in the negative.
A slight earthquake tremor the night before Wilcox's dream was the most considerable felt in New England for some years, and Wilcox's imagination had been keenly affected by it.
When Professor Angell circulated his dream inquiries, average people in society and business — New England's traditional "salt of the earth" — gave an almost completely negative result, though scattered cases of uneasy but formless nocturnal impressions appeared here and there, always between March 23rd and April 2nd, the period of young Wilcox's delirium.
Sources
Every fact above traces back to the text.
“There had been a slight earthquake tremor the night before, the most considerable felt in New England for some years; and Wilcox's imagination had been keenly affected.”
The Call of Cthulhu (1928) — Chapter 1, The Horror in Clay
“Average people in society and business—New England's traditional "salt of the earth"—gave an almost completely negative result, though scattered cases of uneasy but formless nocturnal impressions appear here and there, always between March 23rd and April 2nd—the period of young Wilcox's delirium.”
The Call of Cthulhu (1928) — Chapter 1, The Horror in Clay