Program Description
Description
Author and Oklahoma native E. Joe Brown will make a book tour stop at Winfield Public Library on Sunday, November 6 from 2:00pm – 4:00pm. The program, “Voices from the Past: A Cowboy’s Destiny at the 101 Ranch,” will include western music and storytelling, along with glimpses into Brown’s writing.
Brown’s newest book, A Cowboy’s Destiny¸ is the story of a young cowboy chasing his dream of being a “top-hand” at the world-famous Miller’s 101 Ranch. Published in August 2022, it is currently the #2 Fiction Book in Oklahoma. Following the program, Brown will be available to visit with guests and to sign and sell copies of the book.
While A Cowboy’s Destiny is a work of fiction, Brown has hinted that the story is based in family history. His grandfather worked on the 101 Ranch, and Brown has said “could only imagine what life for his grandfather might have been like while working as a cowhand.” This caught the attention of the Cowley County Historical Society Museum, who partnered with Winfield Public Library to invite Brown to make a book tour stop in Winfield.
Miller’s 101 Ranch was located near present-day Ponca City, roughly 40 miles south of Winfield. Founder Colonel George Washington Miller and his family moved to Winfield in 1881 and for many years lived at 508 West 9th Street in what is currently known as the “Hiatt House.” The family moved to the 101 Ranch once a ranch house there was completed in December 1903. At least eight persons connected to the 101 Ranch and the Miller 101 Wild West Show are buried in the Union-Graham cemetery in Winfield, with several buried in plots purchased by the Millers.
A native of Oklahoma, Brown brings his knowledge and love of the West to historical fiction. After exiting Air Force and Civil Service careers, writing has become his passion. He is a member of Western Writers of America, Military Writers Society of America and is currently the Vice-President of Southwest Writers. Brown is an alumnus of Oklahoma State University College of Engineering, holds a BS in Business Management from Phoenix University, and an Executive MBA with Strategic Planning emphasis from Webster University. He now resides in New Mexico with his wife.