Andrew D. Crofut is a Nevadan in the true sense. What does this mean? Crofut was born in 1889 and grew up on a ranch in Diamond Valley at the juncture of Eureka and Elko counties. The ranch provides the focus for a major portion of this memoir. The daily activities encompassed all possible endeavors in a struggle to maintain the ranch and a growing family. The ranch, established by Isaac F. Crofut, with Andrew "Dana" Dibble carrying on after the former's death, supported cattle and horse raising operations, along with an adjunct hay business.

As he grew to manhood, Andrew Crofut and his parents realized the values of education, and all struggled to school the children of the family. Andrew Crofut went to school first in Diamond Valley and then in the town of Elko. He attended the University of Nevada, winning a scholarship the first year. Financial problems intruded, but he continued his education through correspondence, finally becoming a teacher, first in Diamond Valley and then in some of Nevada's small communities: Delaplain, Contact, Preston, and Carson City.

Mr. Crofut later turned to a new career in retailing in Carson City, Fallon, and Reno. He worked first for Safeway Stores and then for many years in the shipping department of the Reno Montgomery Ward store. He retired from Montgomery Ward in 1958. Crofut and his family built and repaired homes as an avocation, and took a number of trips.

Crofut told of his life and career in expansive detail. His chronicle is useful for historians of education, agriculture and business. In addition, a novelist interested in authentic western settings will find a wealth of descriptive material in Mr. Crofut's recounting of events in Diamond Valley.