Ticket to Oregon

The tiny town of Cordell, Oregon, sprang forth at the dawn of the twentieth century, birthed from the entrepreneurial vision of its namesake, Franklin Cordell, and his partner, John Witherspoon. It grew and flourished during the sunset years of the Old West, came of age during the Depression, and weathered two world wars, Prohibition, the Depression, and the waning years of the local lumber industry. Ticket's Bar has been right there through it all, witnessing the booms, the bubbles, and the heartaches. Three generations of the Ticket family have stood behind the bar, serving rich and poor, loggers and lumbermen, dreamers and drifters, revelers and mourners. The current owner, Owen Ticket, hasn't traveled much, nor has he spent much time outside this tiny town. But through his years as saloonkeeper, he's just about seen and heard it all. When a visiting author wanders in and challenges him to a storytelling duel, Owen Ticket pours forth tale after insightful tale, garnishing them with his own perceptive insights into human nature and the human condition. Join saloonkeeper-hero Owen Ticket, as he opens the tap and draws forth a pitcher full of laughter and tears as he introduces his listener to a century's worth Ticket's patrons-from a trigger-happy card player, to Pinkerton railroad detectives, to Paws the Wonder Dog; not to mention Stonekicker Bob, some rowdy circus performers, and even such noted personalities as the retired Wild-West sharpshooter Annie Oakley herself. Some of them came to celebrate their joys, others to drown their sorrows. He stirs in not just the human elements, but also the enduring natural features that shape the lives of Pacific Northwesterners, including the mighty Mount Hood and the beautiful-but-treacherous Deschutes River. Pull up a stool, park your heel on the brass foot rail, and settle in for some serious-and not-so-serious-storytelling in Ticket To Oregon.