The Dawn-Builder

John G. Neihardt’s first novel written prior to WWI tells the story of Mr. Waters, a one-eyed, one-legged printer, habitual self-loather, and consummate drinker who finds himself in Ft. Calhoun, Nebraska Territory, in the 1860’s. While working for the town newspaper, Waters’ isolation is shattered by two women: a motherly widow and a beautiful Island Girl, whose dark fate in the rough world of the American West ultimately changes Waters’ life.