E. Joe Brown

Jul 31, 2023 by E. Joe Brown

I'm excited to share my experience a few days ago at the Chisolm Trail Heritage Center (CTHC) in Duncan, Oklahoma, supporting their National Day of the Cowboy celebration. I was honored when Edie Stewart, the Center’s education director, asked me to be part of the event.

Here is a little background for those who don't know about this annual celebration:
In 2005, National Day of the Cowboy (NDOC) sponsored a bill in the Wyoming House and Senate to preserve and celebrate cowboy culture and history in that state, naming a holiday to be observed on the fourth Saturday in July. The bill passed, and since then, many other states have passed NDOC in their legislatures.

My wife, Linda, and I traveled on Friday, July 21st, and spent the night in Chickasha, Oklahoma, about a one-hour drive from Duncan. I have a cousin living there, and we had dinner with her. We rose early, arrived at the CTHC at 9:00 the following day, and set up a table outside their two theatres, ready to support a large crowd filling the halls and exhibits all day.

There were horse rides, trick-rope artists, and a band, and I enjoyed "horsin'" around with the Wild Boys. They are a wonderful group of guys from Spencer, Oklahoma, doing all they can around Oklahoma to preserve the Cowboy Way.

I was busy at the table right from the start talking with folks about my book "A Cowboy's Destiny" and was pleased when it was time for me to do my presentation in the main auditorium people followed me and were very receptive. I discussed the book and shared how the Millers (owners of the 101 Ranch) used the Chisolm Trail to bring cattle out of Texas to their ranch in northern Oklahoma. It was a perfect blend of historical facts and my fictional story. I also performed several songs that supported the storyline in Destiny and the history of the Ole Chisolm Trail.
 
My day ended on a high note when Edie asked me back for next year (which I quickly agreed to), and then I could travel to Ada, Oklahoma, and attend an evening with the Kelly family at our annual reunion. Yes, that's the same Kellys my character Charlie Kelly would have been part of. I smile as I say this. Some may not know that Charlie Kelly, in Destiny, and his family are very loosely based on my Granddaddy Clarence Kelly and his family. Granddaddy was a cowboy on the 101 Ranch back in its heyday.

Happy Trails,
Joe

**You can find "A Cowboy's Destiny" here --> Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | Amazon

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