What do you think?
Rate this book
Reclamation
Stripped bare by the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, 1931 America is full of heartache and hard choices. When three strangers’ lives flow together, they learn to fight to reclaim the lives they once dreamt of.
Costello, a teenager from Camden, dreams of adventure, far away from the concrete life his father has relegated him to. Paul Goodwin, an ever-optimistic lawyer from St. Louis, struggles to support his family as they face bankruptcy. While Iva Hammerill returns home in an attempt to pick up the pieces of her shattered marriage.
Together, along with thousands of desperate Americans, they search for hope in one of the most inhospitable places on earth – the Nevada desert. The hottest place in North America has been transformed into a gold rush, as President Coolidge gives $165 million to the Bureau of Reclamation, a little-known federal agency responsible for the damming of mighty Colorado River.
Financially, this represents a miraculous lifeline to hundreds of dying business and thousands of starving families. However, historically, a few men possess the vision that a tamed Colorado is the foundation for western expansion and a future California.
Buried among the many stories of the Great Depression is the tale of this modern day gold rush and an engineering feat as spectacular as the Great Pyramids of Giza both set in a backdrop reminiscent of the Wild West.
This is a story about the brave Americans and daring engineers that uprooted their families, risked fortunes and fought for their families and each other not to simply survive but to reclaim what the Depression had taken.
Costello, a teenager from Camden, dreams of adventure, far away from the concrete life his father has relegated him to. Paul Goodwin, an ever-optimistic lawyer from St. Louis, struggles to support his family as they face bankruptcy. While Iva Hammerill returns home in an attempt to pick up the pieces of her shattered marriage.
Together, along with thousands of desperate Americans, they search for hope in one of the most inhospitable places on earth – the Nevada desert. The hottest place in North America has been transformed into a gold rush, as President Coolidge gives $165 million to the Bureau of Reclamation, a little-known federal agency responsible for the damming of mighty Colorado River.
Financially, this represents a miraculous lifeline to hundreds of dying business and thousands of starving families. However, historically, a few men possess the vision that a tamed Colorado is the foundation for western expansion and a future California.
Buried among the many stories of the Great Depression is the tale of this modern day gold rush and an engineering feat as spectacular as the Great Pyramids of Giza both set in a backdrop reminiscent of the Wild West.
This is a story about the brave Americans and daring engineers that uprooted their families, risked fortunes and fought for their families and each other not to simply survive but to reclaim what the Depression had taken.
331 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 23, 2015
1 person is currently reading
About the author
Harmann Pitts
2 books1 followerAs a kid, I remember cobbling scrap wood together in my grandfather's workshop, surrounded by oily smells, odd bits of metal and wood, screws and nails. All sorts of wonderful tools hung neatly on a wall of Masonite pegboard. His work table scarred and stained by decades of home repair projects and hobbies. As I learned to use these tools 'properly,' he would tell me amazing stories of his youth.
To see him, you would think he was simply a construction worker, a devout family man with three boys and loving wife. Yet behind his oversized glasses and giant elf-like ears, there was an adventurer, a cowboy, and a fighter.
By the time, I had grown to be considered a friend, not just an adored grandson, he was worn down; bad heart, out of shape and a little tired, but when he share stories about his Army buddies or running around the neighborhood with the boys, the years dropped from him in an instant.
His adventures and life lessons learned along the way affect me deeply as a person, a father, and a storyteller. I save most of my stories for my children but get inspired, or brave enough, to share a few of them with others.
To see him, you would think he was simply a construction worker, a devout family man with three boys and loving wife. Yet behind his oversized glasses and giant elf-like ears, there was an adventurer, a cowboy, and a fighter.
By the time, I had grown to be considered a friend, not just an adored grandson, he was worn down; bad heart, out of shape and a little tired, but when he share stories about his Army buddies or running around the neighborhood with the boys, the years dropped from him in an instant.
His adventures and life lessons learned along the way affect me deeply as a person, a father, and a storyteller. I save most of my stories for my children but get inspired, or brave enough, to share a few of them with others.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 26, 2016
Very informative!
Love historical pieces like this. Great read! Can't wait to go and actually and see the Hoover Dam some time!!
Love historical pieces like this. Great read! Can't wait to go and actually and see the Hoover Dam some time!!
Displaying 1 of 1 review