Cecyl Allen Johnson was a descendant of one of Churchill County's first families. Her great-grandfather, Cranston Allen, was a very early pioneer of the western Nevada area that became one of the state's first fourteen counties. Her grandfather, Lem Allen, was one of Nevada's best known politicians. Mrs. Johnson never left the family lands for very long. Born on her family's ranch in 1890, she spent part of her childhood there, attended the University of Nevada, taught in Fallon schools, and finally returned to keep the ranch home with her husband, James W. Johnson. She died at the Johnson (Allen) ranch near Fallon in October, 1966.

Mrs. Johnson's memoir includes material from family records about the early pioneers of the St. Clair district, where the Allens settled; Allen family genealogy; anecdotes and historical notes about politics, ranching, and industries of the Fallon area; accounts of Mrs. Johnson's own activities; social and cultural affairs of Churchill County; and a philosophical conclusion. References to many unusual activities not ordinarily associated with this ranching community abound: the Allen family's stable of famous racehorses, oil wildcatting, and others. Also included are a number of previously unorganized facts and assessments of the well-known Newlands Reclamation Project, probably the most important feature of Churchill County's agricultural industry.