Happy Trails Blog
_w140_h140/Clarence%20Kelly%20(my%20%20grandfather)_03300337.jpg "Granddaddy Became My Inspiration")
The Million Dollar Elm
Jun 06, 2023 by E. Joe Brown
Some key scenes in the Kelly Can Saga Series happen in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, on top of Agency Hill under a large elm tree between the county courthouse and the Osage tribal house.
Today this famous tree would be located east of the Osage Nation Tribal Museum in Pawhuska, Osage County, Oklahoma. The Million Dollar Elm was the site of public oil and natural gas lease auctions starting in November 1912. Colonel Ellsworth Walters, who lived in Skedee in Pawnee County, Oklahoma, was the official auctioneer for the Osage Nation beginning in 1916.
Today this famous tree would be located east of the Osage Nation Tribal Museum in Pawhuska, Osage County, Oklahoma. The Million Dollar Elm was the site of public oil and natural gas lease auctions starting in November 1912. Colonel Ellsworth Walters, who lived in Skedee in Pawnee County, Oklahoma, was the official auctioneer for the Osage Nation beginning in 1916.
The Creation of the Kelly Oil Company
May 23, 2023 by E. Joe Brown
The Kelly Oil Company is my brainchild, written in the Kelly Can Saga Series. I don’t believe there was an oil company named Kelly Oil back in the time period of this storyline, but my research has found several that exist today. They spread across the country and none appear focused on discovering, drilling, producing/refining, and distributing oil, as will be the case with the company started by Charlie and Susan Kelly and their partner Hank Thomas.
Kansas City a Hundred Years Ago
May 09, 2023 by E. Joe Brown
Kansas City is a central hub of the Kelly Can Saga in and around the time of Book Two "A Cowboy's Gusher", and beyond that, I think we need to understand what was happening there post-World War I and into the Roaring 20s. Although today Kansas City is considered a moderate and family-oriented place to live, a hundred years ago, it was a wide-open rip-roaring town.
Kansas City in 1920
Mar 28, 2023 by E. Joe Brown
Let’s discuss Kansas City in the Roaring Twenties. Charlie and Susan will take over The Kramer Group in 1919 and build their empire during this fast-moving time, and Kansas City will be the launchpad. Susan's father had created a magnificent business based on four crucial aspects of the business world, and he was known as the richest man west of the Mississippi River. Kansas City was home to that dominion.
Marjorie Merriweather Post: A New Friend for Susan
Mar 14, 2023 by E. Joe Brown
Some of you might be wondering who is Marjorie Merriweather Post and why you should care. That’s fair, and I’ll be happy to tell you.
Marjorie was born in Springfield, Illinois on March 15, 1887. She was the daughter and only child of C. W. Post and Ella Letitia Merriweather. His father founded the Postum Cereal Company in 1895. At age twenty-seven, upon the death of her father Marjorie became the sole owner of the company and at the same time the wealthiest woman in America. She was worth $20 million (equivalent to over $500 million today). She was known as a tremendous businesswoman, socialite, and philanthropist.
The Jekyll Island Club - Jekyll Island, Georgia
Feb 28, 2023 by E. Joe Brown
With this post, we start discussing Book Two in the Kelly Can Saga Series. As readers, you know that Charlie and Susan were married on Valentine's Day 1919 in Kansas City. Book Two will start with the couple going on their honeymoon to the Jekyll Island Club off the east coast near Brunswick, Georgia. Why Jekyll Island?
Welcome Back!
Feb 07, 2023 by E. Joe Brown
A lot has happened since October 31st (my last Post), and with this, I'll catch you up on everything. So here goes…
November 3rd, I was on the Rendezvous With A Writer radio program on LA Talk Radio hosted by Jim and Bobbi Bell. That was a wonderful experience. On November 5th, I did a book signing at Best of Books in Edmond, Oklahoma. That is one of the top independent bookstores in Oklahoma. On November 6th, I did a solo program sharing the Kelly Can story for the Cowley County Historical Museum at the Winfield, Kansas Public Library. The attendance was excellent for the event. And I made many new friends.
November 3rd, I was on the Rendezvous With A Writer radio program on LA Talk Radio hosted by Jim and Bobbi Bell. That was a wonderful experience. On November 5th, I did a book signing at Best of Books in Edmond, Oklahoma. That is one of the top independent bookstores in Oklahoma. On November 6th, I did a solo program sharing the Kelly Can story for the Cowley County Historical Museum at the Winfield, Kansas Public Library. The attendance was excellent for the event. And I made many new friends.
Where Have You Been Joe?
Oct 28, 2022 by E. Joe Brown
It’s been about sixty days since my last blog so you could have given up on me. Well, please don’t! I hope you have noticed I’ve been on book tours and working feverishly on my second manuscript. My draft for book two will be sent to my publisher within the week. Yahoo!!
Let’s get you caught up on some of what’s been happening. I’ll start with the launch of “A Cowboy’s Destiny” back on August 27th.
Let’s get you caught up on some of what’s been happening. I’ll start with the launch of “A Cowboy’s Destiny” back on August 27th.
Book Launch and First Tour
Sep 07, 2022 by E. Joe Brown
The first novel in my Kelly Can Saga series “A Cowboy’s Destiny” got off to a roaring start in Ponca City, Oklahoma at Brace Books and More on August 27th. Tara Smith and her staff were wonderful hosts and Joe Glaser the 101 Old Timers Association historian and Board of Directors member was there as well, and his support was wonderful.
The Big Day is Here! “A Cowboy’s Destiny” is Released!
Aug 23, 2022 by E. Joe Brown
Well, August 23rd, 2022, has finally arrived and my first novel is available for everyone to purchase. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating it.
Cushing, Oklahoma at the Time of “A Cowboy's Destiny”
Jul 21, 2022 by E. Joe Brown
Cushing, Oklahoma (my hometown) is currently the largest oil storage facility in the world. This Payne County town of about 8,000 people is still known as the pipeline crossroads of the world, as many large transmission lines originate and terminate there. Cushing is a big part of the Kelly Can Saga series because, at the time of the story, it was booming and still has a significant place in oil and gas history.
Real Places in A Cowboy’s Destiny
Jun 21, 2022 by E. Joe Brown
I’ve already covered that the 101 Ranch was a real place, so I won’t say much here about that. But because I want to be true to the timeframe of the story I use real places as well as real people to create interest and add some fun to the storyline. In this blog entry, I’ll share something about several places mentioned in A Cowboy’s Destiny.
Real People in A Cowboy’s Destiny
May 24, 2022 by E. Joe Brown
In a previous blog, we talked about the actual 101 Ranch. It plays a pivotal part in the story of Charlie Kelly and "A Cowboy's Destiny." The ranch existed, and the Millers also truly owned the ranch. The Miller brothers, Joe, George, and Zack are characters in the story. So is the person E. W. Marland. I wanted a genuine feel of realism in the story even though it absolutely is a work of fiction.
The Wealthy in the Era of A Cowboy’s Destiny
May 09, 2022 by E. Joe Brown
The Kelly Can Saga begins in the 1910s and the first novel, A Cowboy’s Destiny, ends in very early 1919. Charlie and Susan come from very different backgrounds and in this blog, I discuss the world Susan grew up in. Her father, Walter Kramer, is portrayed as a wealthy man. Among the richest in the United States. Let’s look at what that meant by acknowledging the wealthiest at the time of the story.
The Millers' 101 Ranch
Apr 26, 2022 by E. Joe Brown
As mentioned in a previous blog, my granddaddy was a cowboy on the 101 Ranch as a teenager. His story was part of my inspiration for the Kelly Can Saga series. The ranch was a 110,000-acre cattle and farm operation, and it was the largest and most diversified in the nation at the time. The ranch started in 1893 during the Oklahoma Indian Territory days before statehood.
A Cowboy's Destiny - Charlie and Susan
Apr 12, 2022 by E. Joe Brown
I consider Charlie Kelly, of course, the main character. But, early in the story, he meets a beautiful, sensual, and compelling young woman, Susan Blackaby, and his world is changed forever. They will be the focus of this edition of the Kelly Can Saga Blog.
Granddaddy Became My Inspiration
Mar 29, 2022 by E. Joe Brown
Growing up, I heard stories about how my Granddaddy Clarence Kelly was a cowboy and ranch hand on the world-famous Miller's 101 Ranch located a little south and west of Ponca City, Oklahoma, when he was young. This would have been before he met Jennie Farley, the woman he would marry and would become my Grandma Kelly.
E. Joe Brown Signs with Artemesia Publishing
Jul 08, 2021 by E. Joe Brown
I’d like to announce that I have signed with Artemesia Publishing to release the first novel in my Kelly Can Saga by summer 2022. This is one of five books in a series about the life of Charlie Kelly, from working cowboy to a titan of business in the early 20th century. Think of McMurtry's Lonesome Dove, add in some Dallas and Dynasty television drama to give it a nice twist. Our plan is to release another book every six to nine months. More news still to come!!!