The Quake That Drained the Desert

"What if the land moved us to hear its stories? Through intimate research, Mary Reynolds reveals the 1887 rupture that dried rivers, rang church bells, and reordered lives—unearthing memory and warnings that still move through us."—Melani Martinez, author of The Molino: A Memoir "Mary Reynolds delivers a vivid, haunting chronicle of the 1887 Sonora earthquake. Blending meticulous research with searing testimony, and lyrical storytelling, Reynolds follows a doctor, photographer, and engineer through the footprints of devastation and discovery. It is a journey that exposes the quake's enduring reshaping of Arizona and Sonora's waters—and renders an unforgettable testament to nature's power and resilience."—Tim Z. Hernandez, author of They Call You Back "Riven through with eye-opening archival research, Reynolds's book unites seismology and hydrology into a holistic vision of how life in the Sonoran Desert has been disrupted in equal measure by human intervention and the unimaginable power of the earth itself."—Kyle Paoletta, author of American Oasis: Finding the Future in the Cities of the Southwest "The phrase 'hidden history' is thrown around a lot, but one truly concealed history of a region is what lies under the ground. Mary Reynolds excavates the story of an 1887 earthquake in the Sonoran Desert to throw illumination on current events and the way the land appears today."—Tom Zoellner, author of Rim to River: Looking into the Heart of Arizona