A fascinating and detailed look at sixteen communities in Pima County that experienced the boom and bust of the mining industry since the 1800s. Conveyed from a cultural historian's perspective, the stories of these communities are told with a goal of promoting preservation of the remnant railroads, schools, post offices, hotels, saloons, and other artifacts from this chapter of our history in Pima County.

Four adjacent ranges define the western edge of the Avra and Altar valleys. Even though desert ironwood has dark green, lush foliage much of the year, this tree is almost exclusively a Sonoran Desert species. The same is true of the distribution of saguaros, foothill palo verdes, fishhook barrel cacti, and most of the hundreds of other plants growing here. These rugged ranges also provide natural refuges for a variety of wildlife, including desert bighorn and migratory pollinators. In addition to the biological resources, the area has abundant rock art sites and other archaeological sites.