". . . Fist kept a few cages filled with prairie dogs in front of the curio store. These prairie dogs were personal pets—colony members abducted as babies and raised with human contact. Often, Fist strolled among customers with these friends on his shoulder.

As pups and profits of Prairie Dog Town grew, so did the schlock inside Fist's curio store. Among the store's best sellers were genuine cow chips that had been dried and varnished. Tourists reluctant to take true doo-doo home could buy ceramic cow pies painted with Prairie Dog Town's slogan: This is the Country Where the Wind Pumps the Water and the Cattle Furnish the Fuel.

"The salesmen pounced on Dad," says Jeanne McSwain. "One of the things they sent him was a set of salt and pepper shakers. They were in the form of a woman's breasts, and they said, 'Prairie Dog Town' across their front. When the next salesman came in, my mother said, 'I cannot stand this stuff!' The salesman said, 'If you hate it, order a gross. If you like it, order one or two. . . .'"