Eugenia May Bruns enjoys the distinction of having lived in three Nevada towns that no longer exist. She spent the early years of her life in Empire, a milling town on the Carson River, where she was born in 1877 and attended school. After attending the University of Nevada, Mrs. Bruns taught in schools in Galena, Lander County, and in Pine Grove, Lyon County. Both of the latter were mining camps—short-lived, but interesting. Following her "Nevada" experiences, Mrs. Bruns moved to Alpine County, California, where she spent sixty-eight years teaching, raising a family, acting as county school superintendent, and observing the passage of time.

Jennie Bruns's memoir includes reminiscences about her girlhood in Empire, observations on life at the University of Nevada in the 1890s, anecdotes of her teaching experiences in Nevada and California, a discussion of local practices in the rural community where she resided for more than sixty years, and her story of a trip to Yosemite Valley in 1896.