In 1995, the authors published, "Gold Mining in Washington State - Yesterday and Today" and found massive amount of research material, including the handwritten memoirs of Charles Ballard, left over. This material and new research provide this blended biography of Washington State pioneers - the towns they founded, the gold they mined, and history they created. Besides the Charles Ballard memoirs, the authors concentrated on primary sources of information. They chose eyewitness accounts, news reports, early journals and valuable family testimonials. The authors have filled the book with maps, historical photos, many Ballard family portraits, and general graphics of life in Washington state at the turn of the century. Following the Ballard family who moved west from Ohio in the early late 1850's. The Ballards, father and sons, were early settlers of Auburn and Ballard. They were bank owners and steamboat captains, they were educators and goldminers, they were lawyers and surveyors, and most of all they liked gold. The book is filled with short biographies and town histories. It is well indexed and has an extensive bibliography.