In the early 1850s, the Rogue Valley's ancient inhabitants were forced into war by the arrival of transitory miners looking for the quickest way to get rich. The miners along Wagner Creek scoured every nook and cranny but discarded the real riches in the productive soil. The first white settlers of Talent traded the gold pan for the plow and claimed the best land in the valley to build a community that continues today. Farmers and their families depended on the soil and sun for their livelihood. Years of improvement followed and life progressed to a now bygone rhythm—the school bell rang, train whistles blew, hammers pounded, violins played, and mothers called their children for supper. The images in this book celebrate Talent residents' pride in what they built, worked for, amused themselves with, and loved.