By Bill Reynolds
La Conner Community News
Best-selling author Craig Johnson, the man behind the popular mid-2010s TV series “Longmire,” is making an appearance in La Conner on Aug. 22 to talk about his new book. The event is a benefit for the La Conner Swinomish Library.
Johnson, 65, a Wyoming writer best known for his popular Walt Longmire mystery series, will discuss his latest book, “The Brothers McKay,” during a special Saturday evening appearance here.
The doors at Maple Hall will open at 5:30 p.m., a half-hour before Johnson’s presentation. Admission will be by donation.
Library director Jean Markert said Johnson’s local program “has been in the works for a while.” She said he will be available to sign his books and that Seaport Books of La Conner is in charge of book sales.
Seaport Books carries “The Brothers McKay,” which depicts Sheriff Longmire’s investigation of a wealthy but widely despised rancher. The library also has a copy, Markert said.
Johnson has written 22 novels featuring Longmire, a sometimes curt, always honest and dedicated lawman, in rural northern Wyoming.
The Longmire books were adapted into a TV series in 2012, gaining a wide following among viewers attracted to Longmire’s ability to balance modern law enforcement with small town traditions, perhaps best symbolized by the old-school sheriff’s disdain for cell phones.
The series has been so well-received that an annual Longmire Days Festival is held in Buffalo, Wyo., often attracting up to 12,000 people to a town about one-third that size.
Appearing at Maple Hall in support of La Conner Swinomish Library seems natural for Johnson, who resides with his wife, Judy, in Ucross, Wyo., a hamlet of some two dozen people.
“He likes community libraries,” Markert noted. “He wants to come here and give a presentation.”
In Johnson’s Longmire books, the sheriff’s best friend is Henry Standing Bear, a Cheyenne man who serves as a valued bridge between the white community and a nearby reservation. La Conner readers can certainly relate.
La Conner Swinomish Library was built in 2022 with a significant financial contribution by the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. Designed by BuildingWork, a Seattle-based architectural firm, the library reflects a collaboration between Native and non-Native influences. Visitors are welcomed at the main entrance by a traditional story pole crafted by Swinomish master carver Kevin Paul and his son-in-law, Camas Logue.
Johnson, who grew up in Huntington, W.V., and attended Marshall University, embraces diversity in his Longmire story lines — from cowboys and Native Americans to East Indians and Basques.
The author was attracted to Wyoming, especially the Bighorn Mountains — a large spur of the Rockies — while in his 20s. He discovered the area while delivering horses there.
His next stop, if for only an hour or two, will introduce Johnson to the La Conner and Swinomish communities.
“We’re excited to have Craig Johnson come here,” said Markert. “It should be a really fun event.”
Bill Reynolds is a general assignment reporter for La Conner Community News.
