It was an unusual occurrence for a tornado to touch down in the town itself, given its location between two chains of steep hills. The nearby Mack Alford State Penitentiary is a large source of employment in the county. It was an internment camp for Japanese Americans arrested as "enemy aliens" and later for German POWs during World War II. Despite its small size, Stringtown (2010 pop. 410) is the second-largest town in Atoka County, behind Atoka (pop. 3,107) and ahead of Tushka (pop. 312). On January 14, 2014, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol disbanded the Stringtown Police Department for generating too much of the city’s revenue off of writing traffic tickets, a violation of the state "speed trap" law. The Garside house is one of the biggest historical sites of the town, next to the Bonnie and Clyde monument. The land the Garside house sits on was allotted to Joseph and Sarah Garside and their two children in 1902. In the middle of building the house, a tornado came through the town and tore down the part of the house that had been built. The Garsides had to start over again, but in 1915 they finished a two-story house. The house and land was later purchased by E. H. Colbertson, the first white man to buy land in that area. Approximately four years ago, the house was remodeled and decorated to be a museum. The Southwest Stone Company, also known as the Rock Crusher, is one of the biggest sources of employment in the county. The crusher moved from Chockee to Stringtown in the early 1900s. Up until that point, Stringtown had not had electricity yet. The railroad that runs through Stringtown stretches from south Texas, takes several routes in Oklahoma and Kansas, and reaches to the northern parts of Missouri. The part that runs through Stringtown was built in 1872 and is known now as the Union Pacific Railroad. Stringtown was once home to a sawmill and a cotton gin that had the biggest production rate in the late 1800s. When a fire burnt the town on July 15, 1954, the sawmill and cotton gin burned down, along with half the town, including a café, a jailhouse, a barbershop, a bank, and a hotel. All that was left was Robert’s Store and a few homes. The town never really was rebuilt after this. Today, there is a school, a church, a fire department, City Hall, Dianna’s Store, and a senior citizens center.