Murray "Murf" Self grew up in Centennial where his father Pat ran the Old Corral Hotel & Steakhouse. When Pat was eighteen years old, he started receiving a money from the VA on account of his own father’s death in World War I. This windfall marked the beginning of Pat Self’s tumultuous life with fancy cars.
Have you ever wondered why so many small towns have turned their old train depots into museums? In a story about his mother’s quest to open an interpretive center in Centennial, Self explains how.
Toward the end of her life, Murray Self’s mother was pen pals with Pulitzer prize-winning author James Michener. Around this time, the Self family donated a log cabin on the Old Corral’s property to become the new Centennial library, and Michener accepted an invitation to attend the dedication.
