The villages of Elmore and Genoa have held a friendly rivalry since the 1860s. Though each has made its own name in Ottawa County, Ohio, both share a rich heritage that instills small-town curiosities with a strong sense of community pride. Elmore is known as being the home of Schedel's Arboretum and Gardens, the headless motorcyclist ghost, the Elmore car, and professional softball pitcher Carl "Sox" Wainwright. Not to be outdone, Genoa, one of the major producers of white lime in the country, showcases world-renown artist Jan Pugh and National Register of Historic Places sites such as the Genoa Town Hall and the Old School Privy. Both area histories have boasted pioneers that tamed the Black Swamp, prosperous businesses, major transportation centers, and stories of overcoming personal tragedies. Elmore and Genoa takes readers back to a time that was simpler to see two villages grow into places where the past can come alive through the actions and memories of its people.

In 1914, Carl G. Fisher knew the time was right to promote the second transcontinental auto highway. Following the success of the Lincoln Highway, the Dixie Highway pushed the development of commerce and tourism for the southern states. The Dixie Highway system grew to include routes from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and Chicago to Miami Beach. In Indiana, the Dixie Highway became parts of Indiana 933, US 31, Indiana 25, Indiana 29, US 421, Indiana 37, and US 150. The dogleg from Chicago to Indiana became part of US 136.

Well known for its oil and gas production, Kermit was originally founded by ranchers needing a supply hub in an isolated area of West Texas. An 1876 campaign by Col. Ranald S. Mackenzie helped rid the area of Comanche Indians, and prompted by the state's policy for free use of its land, ranchers quickly moved in. This population growth resulted in the establishment of Winkler County in 1887. Competition between nearby towns for the title of county seat lasted until 1910, when Kermit's offer of free lots won it the designation. Though the town later experienced a drought, which severely crippled the population, the discovery of oil on ranchland owned by Thomas G. and Ada Hendrick in 1926 helped the town boom. Today Kermit's economy is sustained by ranching and oil and gas production.