Shortly after the International Smelter offered economic salvation to Tooele's struggling desert community, the Tooele Valley Railroad became the town artery. However, the smelter's decades of prosperity proved short-lived, and by the 1930s, the town had fallen on difficult times once again. The railroad outlived the smelter, but operations ceased in the early 1980s, and the city had the abandoned tracks removed.

This book contains a narrative history of the life of Mary Oldfield, born 28 June 1791 in Minisink, Orange County, New York. After her family moved to western New York, Mary married Eli Kelsey. They raised a family of six children. Following her first husband's death, Mary joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She joined "the Mormons" in Nauvoo, Illinois and later crossed the plains to Utah Territory where she was one of the first settlers of Tooele, Utah. Following the narrative history of Mary Oldfield's life is a color coded chronological time line including events that involved Mary and her family members. The time line provides valuable documentation of Mary's life as well as brings to life the complex interactions on her family.