East of the Mississippi River, and just north of the Illinois-Wisconsin border, the soil was once fertile with huge deposits of lead and zinc. White men discovered these riches in the early 1800s, well before Wisconsin became a state in 1848. Miners, farmers, and merchants flocked to the region, some bringing along their families. Towns with names like Snake Digs, Cottonwood, and Etna grew very rapidly. Roads, bridges, and railroad tunnels soon connected these towns where schools, churches, and businesses developed. Today tourists are invited to visit museums, mines, and shops in the region to explore its colorful past.

Carol March McLernon grew up in the southwestern lead-mining region and attended school near a ghost town. August Derleth, author of Land of Gray Gold, visited Shullsburg High School while McLernon was a student there. McLernon received her teaching degree at Platteville State Teachers' College and completed her graduate work at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She travels the Midwest talking with schoolchildren about Wisconsin's history.