Life in 1890's Iowa coincided with the Gay 90's across America. Irene Merrill tells stories of her childhood while growing up in Iowa and Minneapolis where her father and grandfather owned hotels. Her travels by train for visits, experiences at school and life in Webster City, Iowa as a child. Her final education in a convent boarding school and a teacher in a one room schoolhouse offer insight into this long gone experience. Period photos of the exact locations are included and the Appendix contains maps of her travels as well as a chronology for the Merrill and Mundt families.