This collectiion of short stories was inspired by the establishment of an Old West-themed attraction in southern Oklahoma known as Sipokni West, which has doubled as an actual set for several Western film and television productions. These stories were conceived as a sort of spin-off of that project, as a means of presenting some of the fictional community's memorable events and colorful characters as if they were a part of actual history. Some of the stories were originally published in our local newspaper, the Johnston County Capital-Democrat; others were printed individually in slim volumes...

Award-winning journalist John Allen Small shares some of his favorite local feature stories from the pages of the Johnston County Capital-Democrat, a weekly newspaper headquartered in Tishomingo, Oklahoma. The contents include interview with country music stars Miranda Lambert and Roger Springer; the tale of a possible UFO sighting; and reminiscences of local military heroes, among others.