In the Shadow of the Hills

This novel-length work "In the Shadow of the Hills" by George C. Shedd follows engineer Steele Weir's arrival at a reservoir dam construction site in New Mexico. Weir, renowned as "Cold Steel" for handling dangerous engineering challenges without hesitation, replaces an ineffective predecessor at the troubled San Mateo project. Hampered by local opposition from ranchers wanting to preserve the region as open range, and by laborers refusing to work diligently under company policy restricting hiring to local workers, Weir takes direct action. When Mexicans resist demands for productivity, he fires them all. When their lawyer spokesman presents negotiation terms at a town gathering, Weir curtly refuses and issues an ultimatum: workers must return within an hour on his conditions—no back pay, obedience to foremen, Sunday work required—then drives away. Weir harbors mysterious personal connection to San Mateo, suggested by references to something dark in his past there. The narrative emphasizes conflict between development and resistance.