O s y e l s ’ e r is P
For a moment in time,
E lv
retreat f r o m
s u p e r s ta r d o m w a s the Circle G Ranch in Mississippi.
by shara clark n a recent Saturday in July, just before sunrise, the sky began to shift its hue as the first hints of light crawled over the edge of the earth. I was driving south on Highway 301, wanting to re-enact, as best I could, a moment Elvis Presley experienced in that same early hour of a winter morning in 1967. Crossing over Goodman Road between Horn Lake and Walls, Mississippi, puffs of gray clouds against brightening cobalt overhead, I spotted it. Set maybe a mile beyond the road to the east, a towering white cross came into view, nearly hidden by the lush, green boughs of surrounding trees. In front of it, a cluster of geese crowded around a lake as serene as the gently rolling hills on which it sat.
left: Elvis bought Twinkletown Farm in February 1967 and rechristened it the Circle G Ranch. This aerial image shows the land when he owned it; ranch trucks and a fleet of cars are parked outside of Elvis and Priscilla’s “Honeymoon Cottage.” right: Few photos exist from Elvis’ Circle G Ranch days. In this rare image, Elvis, dressed in cowboy attire, sits atop one of his horses behind the stables. He and his entourage spent many days riding horses across the ranch’s 160 acres. PHOTO COURTESY ELVIS PRESLEY ENTERPRISES, INC.
PHOTO FROM THE ARCHIVES OF RUSS HOWE
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