The Road to Belmont spans sixty-five years, following Minnie Hawley, born on the Oregon Trail in 1848, as she struggles against loss, forced marriage, exploitation, and violence-all while refusing to abandon her dreams of independence. It's a tale of survival, resilience, and transformation, culminating in her building a life on her own terms in a world that gave her no place.

The inspiration for this book began as a small boy, I sat transfixed by westerns, colored ghost towns in my coloring books, collected every book I could find on abandoned ghost towns, and begged to visit them in person.

As I grew up, my grandparents filled me with real stories about my granddad's grandmother. Her remarkable life and her saloon, the Cosmopolitan, in Belmont, Nevada. I was in awe that I had a living connection to the Old West, and I cherished every piece of history I could muster. I interviewed my great aunts and uncle, and my grandparents after their visit to Belmont. I collected pictures alongside the stories.

I made the journey to Belmont myself with my granddad and my mother, and we had our picture taken in front of the building. There, I had the great fortune of meeting Rose Walters, the last living resident of Belmont, and was lucky enough to interview her twice.

From boyhood to manhood, Minnie's story has never left me. It inspired me to make sure others could hear it too.