A well-mounted work of historical fiction.

Zilka's historical novel dramatizes the Great Spokane Fire of 1889.

In 1884, civil engineer Rolla Alan Jones, a young graduate of Cornell University, has the opportunity to build a system to bring running water to Spokane Falls, Washington, an assignment that satisfies both his professional ambition and his urge to go west.

His first visual impression of Spokane is not wholly positive, but the mountain air “smelled fresh, as mountain air is known to be: crisp and filled with pine pitch, fresh-cut cedar, campfire smoke, and soil aromas of herb and spice,” and his 160-acre land claim is a good place to build a home and grow fruits and nuts. His fiance, Sadie Withers, arrives in the spring of 1885, and they marry. Within three years, Spokane is thriving, in no small part because of Rolla’s success in bringing running water to the city.

Sadie and Rolla have a son; their farm stand is profitable, and Sadie runs a jewelry store in Spokane. In 1889, Spokane is devastated by a fire exacerbated by a prolonged drought, buildings primarily made of highly flammable pine, and a poorly run volunteer fire department. Rolla is unfairly blamed for the disaster; although he is ultimately exonerated, his reputation and self-esteem are destroyed. Through hard work, and with the help of Sadie and close friends, he struggles to heal and regain both.

Zilka has deftly re-created the feel of the post-Civil War United States, including New York City, the new transcontinental railroad, and the newly settled West. The political and personal interactions between Rolla and the people of Spokane Falls, both before and after the fire, ring true.