A passionate storyteller, Brennan begins with reference to legends drawn from the Stoney oral tradition, introduces us to an incredible cast of characters: pioneering missionaries Robert Rundle and George McDougall; nineteenth-century botanists David Douglas and John Macoun; famed painters Paul Kane and Henry James Warre; and Jimmy Simpson, the famous Banff guide and outfitter.

Brennan also gives life to one-time Rocky Mountain residents such as:

• Byron Harmon, the first professional photographer to make his home in the Rockies;
• Carl Rungius, the first significant artist to live and paint in the Rockies;
• Chief Smallboy, who led his Cree band into the Rocky Mountain wilderness to find peace and harmony;
• Norman Sanson, the weatherman who climbed Sulphur Mountain one thousand times over a 35-year period to check meteorological data.
• And of course, there are the tourists - the climbers, trail riders, hunters and movie stars - whose dollars made it possible for the residents to be residents.
• And there's more - much more.