Spur Award-winning Author
Western Heritage Award-winning Author

The side-wheel steamboat Mittie Stephens was lost on the dark night of February 12, 1869 in Caddo Lake, near the Texas-Louisiana border. Out of the 107 on board, 61 perished. Unbeknownst to almost all on board, the Mittie Stephens had been selected by the Army to transport in secret a payroll in gold that is being sought by a group of ex-Confederates who have worked out an elaborate strategy to seize the boat and its valuable cargo.

Johnny D. Boggs was born in South Carolina, he published his first Western short story in 1983. Since then he has written more than twenty short stories. He won a Spur Award from Western Writers of America for his short story, "A Piano at Dead Man's Crossing" in 2002 and the Western Heritage Award from the Cowboy Hall of Fame for his novel Spark on the Prairie in 2003. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with his wife and son.