Erma O. Godbey was born in 1905 in Colorado, and she spent her early years in the Colorado mining camp of Silverton. After her marriage to Thomas Godbey, she lived in a number of other mining towns, arriving finally in Boulder City, Nevada. At that time, the Boulder Canyon Project was just getting underway, and the Godbeys became identified with the area as a pioneering family. Mrs. Godbey was the first permanent woman resident of the new town of Boulder City. She thus had the unique position of observing Boulder City's development from its beginning.

Erma Godbey's memoir contains accounts of life in Colorado; the growth and development of Boulder City, Nevada; anecdotes of public service work in the southern Nevada area; and a discussion of Thomas Godbey's political activities as a Nevada legislator.