Book excerpt: At the center of Indiana lies Boone County, a seemingly quiet place with a colorful past. The stagecoach along the Michigan Road helped to start the county, then the railroad transformed it as new towns were created along the routes. Some of these towns are now gone, leaving behind a few buildings and a sign marking where they once existed. Local vagabond Thorntown Cyrus entertained area residents with his accordion, a couple touted his and hers tractors, and the Cragun twins met a tragic demise. Mysteries surround true stories such as a rogue monkey seen wandering a community and why a butcher attacked a prominent citizen. Author Heather Phillips Lusk brings these stories and more to life to reveal what makes Boone County unique.