THE SANDY KNOLL MURDER
Central Oregon Books,
$15 paperback, 318 pages
On a spring day in 1904, John Creed Conn disappeared from Silver Lake in Central Oregon. He left town suddenly and on foot, without an overcoat despite frigid weather. Although county papers quickly surmised that he was dead, Conn's body wasn't found for seven weeks. At the time, the area was in turmoil. Conflicts between cattlemen and sheep men over rangeland had turned violent. Despite direct evidence to the contrary, the coroner's inquest declared Conn's death a suicide. Amateur historian Melany Tupper digs into historical documents to try to uncover the real identity of Conn's murderer. "The Sandy Knoll Murder: Legacy of the Sheepshooters" is published by Tupper's company Central Oregon Books in Christmas Valley.
Tupper signs copies of her book at 1 p.m. Feb. 5 at Murder By the Book, 3210 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd.
-- Katie Schneider