The Progressive Story

Chapter 5 - Told by 4th and 5th graders Wild Valley Rangers of Alta Elementary School, Reedley, California, U.S.A

Peter thought he was safely on a cruise ship heading to California.He was so tired that he fell asleep in a lifeboat. It was a long cruise that went around the Northwest Passage, along the coast of Alaska, down the western side of Canada, and finally would arrive in Los Angeles. Peter managed to hide for several weeks and would sneak food in the middle of the night. The cooks kept wondering what was happening to the food and were treating the employees with suspicion. They also set lots of traps for rats. Peter was careful and wasn't caught.During the day, he slept in the lifeboat kept warm with the beaver fur. However, it was getting boring, he could hear the fun of the passengers and began to take more risks. The ship had several stops along the way in British Columbia and then it would head down the coastline. The boat stopped at Vancouver where passengers had time to stop and visit for a short time. All the time sleeping in the lifeboat had finally given a cold to Peter. Peter had a huge sneezing attack one evening right as the night watchman walked by. He tried in vain to stop it.

Aachoo!"What the? Who is there?" said a voice. Peter found himself being grabbed by rough hands and pulled from the boat. "A stowaway!Why you!"

Peter sneezed again right into his face and that startled the guard into loosening his grip on Peter. Peter was in a panic, he swung some of the treasure he had and hit the watchman in the stomach. He caught him off guard and the unexpected blow sent the man to the ground. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be any trouble," said Peter as he grabbed his things and rushed off the boat. He darted this way and that until he finally felt he could stop and wait awhile. He found a place to hide and decided to lay low and then decide what he would try to do next. He fell asleep until the noise of a thunderstorm woke him up.

Peter found himself wandering on a city street in Vancouver in the middle of a pouring rainstorm with thunder and lightening crackling like whips. He ran to the door of a large building.It was locked. The lightening lit up the sky as a clock in the building struck midnight.

Peter saw a large statue in the foyer of the building. To his amazement, the statue began moving and opened the door. Peter was soaking wet and rushed in the building. He slipped, stumbled, and crashed to the floor.

"Whoa, slow down.Are you okay?" the statue asked.
Peter was used to statues coming to life at this point nothing surprised him. He said, "I'm all right.What is your name and can you help me?"

"My name is Erclas Herbert Love. I used to wander the wilderness of Canada and the northwest. You need to learn to find the solitude of the wilderness. I am going to help you find your North Star and your own destiny. For awhile you need to follow my trail and gather clues to help you on your journey."

"North Star?I'm getting more confused all the time."

"What you don't know the North Star? It is inside each of us. I can help you. Here is a copy of the book, The North Star. Another Peter just like you wrote it. I heard about the North Star from the Yokuts when I visited my friend Thomas Law Reed."

"Wait a second, Erclas, I don't know anything about the Yokuts or Thomas Reed or even you. I'm cold, wet and tired. Can you possibly get me some food and dry clothes? I'd really love hot chicken soup, but I guess I'm dreaming. I do have treasure and I can give you some."

"I don't need your treasure, but I can help you." Erclas gathered some furs and old clothes from a display. "Put these on and take off your clothes and wait until they dry." As soon as Peter changed, Erclas then said, "Let's go to the snack bar and see what we can find."

Peter saw a machine that had tuna sandwiches, cup-of-soup, chips, milk, and juice. "Erclas, my gold won't work.What can I do?" "Just leave some coins by the register, leave a note, and take some change." Peter did that and wrote on the note that these were coins from Blackbeard's treasure.

Warm and getting full he listened to Erclas tell his story.

"I was born in Old Black Swamp in Ohio. I wanted a life of adventure and so at a young age I headed to Canada. During the Civil War, I went to my family in Michigan and enlisted in the Union Army's 13th Infantry. Four of my brothers joined me; we had a large family.A. T. was the baby of the family. It was at this time that I met Thomas Reed.After the war, I felt the solitude of the wilderness calling me and so I left for the northwest with my clothes, a gun, and my beloved books. I visited my family after they came to Fresno Station in 1873. Then I took off again and it was years before I returned. I came back to Fresno in 1926 and found that Thomas Reed had also come to Fresno County with his family. He settled by the Kings River and a town called Reedley was where he was living. I visited the Reed family, Thomas has passed away in 1911. I met a young man named Shorty while I visited the Reeds. He reminded me of myself during my younger days. He visited the Reeds to gather some supplies and sell his furs. Then he was heading up to the Sierra Nevada, which was where he lived. This is also where I heard the legend of the North Star. The Yokuts had heard the story from other tribes and it was about an adventurer, a wanderer, who was seeking a new path, and gave his life in the effort. That is the way I lived my life.I missed the wilderness, but I wasn't well and soon died. One of my greatest sorrows is that I wasn't well enough to go see Yosemite Valley. I had heard about this wondrous place and wanted to see it. I saw these wonderful photographs by someone called Ansel Adams. He knew how to capture the beauty of the wilderness. Visit my grave in Fresno to gather more clues on your journey."

The storm had ended and the sky was starting to get lighter. Erclas said to Peter, "You need to get ready to go. Change your clothes, I'll call a friend, and you need to get going on your journey. "Erclas goes outside and made a strange noise. Peter joined him.

"What an incredible sound.Where did you learn that?"

"You should know by know, from the solitude of the wilderness. The animals know me." All of a sudden a huge eagle landed by them and greeted Erclas with a loud cry. Peter jumped back in surprise. "This is my friend, Alta. He will carry you where you want to go.He is going to take you to some of the places I have told you about. You will have to find your own way on your journey after that. Alta won't hurt you, he will carry you high and safely."

Peter climbed on Alta. He quickly got over his surprise and felt happy and joyful. "Thank you Erclas.I'll never forget you." Erclas waved, then turned, went back into the lobby, and became a statue once more.

Alta and Peter quickly rose into the early morning sky. It was so beautiful and peaceful. "Ahhh, this must be a little of what Erclas was talking about." The wind blew through Peter's hair and at times he found himself soaring and even daring to ride Alta like a surfboard. Alta would stop occasionally and leave Peter on a treetop or a cliff and dive to catch some fish from a crystal lake.Peter would find himself in amazement at the beauty around him. He wasn't hungry enough to want the fish Alta offered him. He didn't want to hurt Alta's feelings so he ate the raw fish and found it wasn't bad. Then he would climb on again and soared in the clouds.
It was marvelous.

Finally the Central Valley of California was below them and a large city came up. Peter saw the Fresno Water Tower and asked Alta to land there so he could explore and stretch his legs awhile. He told Alta to wait because he wanted to explore the city for awhile. Not far from the Fresno Water Towerwas the main branch of the Fresno County Library.This looked like a good place to go. In the library he looked for information on Erclas, A.T. Stevens, Shorty, and the other stories Erclas had shared with him. He saw some black and white photos of Yosemite by Ansel Adams. He went to the stacks and a book fell off the shelf and opened to a page with a photograph of Erclas. The photo began to speak to Peter.

Erclas said, "You have come part way on your journey. What have you discovered?"

Peter replied, "I have found that things are not always as they seem. I have found I can do things I never thought I would. I ate raw fish, I have encountered the devil, I have traveled with an eagle, who knows where I may go? I want to get home, but it isn't so important. The journey is becoming amazing."

Erclas said, "You are starting to discover your North Star. You have come a long way. Visit my grave, go see Yosemite Valley and you will be ready to go on."

Peter returned to the top of the Fresno Water Tower and asked Alta to take him to the Mountain View Cemetery.He knew where to go because of the book he had seen that was written by Catherine Morrison Rehart who was the great-great niece of Erclas and A.T. Stevens. Once at the cemetery he wandered around until he found Erclas' grave. He saw something shiny on the ground and picked it up. It was an old locket and in it was a photo of Erclas and A.T. Stevens. Peter felt he knew what he had to do. He went back to Alta and asked him to take him to Yosemite Valley.

Peter was overwhelmed with the majestic scenery, the granite cliffs, the waterfalls, and the flower filled meadows. He went all over the valley, went to the top of Half Dome, and wondered where he should leave the locket. What was the best way to return this to the solitude of the wilderness?
Here he was in a green forest, below the mountains was a yellow parched valley filled with beautiful lush crops. A desert below was turned into very productive agriculture that fed and clothed people all over the world.

What had caused this to happen? It was the water of the mountains, the water from the Sierra had tamed the desert below. The water was a path, a journey that flowed everywhere.Peter knew what to do.

Peter had Alta take him over the top of Bridalveil Falls and at the top of the falls he dropped the locket into the water. Now Erclas and A.T. could travel with the water.

Watching below were a group of Japanese tourists. They pointed in amazement, talked rapidly in Japanese, and pulled out their cameras. Peter found himself pulled off Alta's back and into one of the cameras. What was happening to him? He was swirling through time and space. His feet landed on solid ground with all of his treasures around him.

Where was he?In front of him he saw a temple surrounded by a garden and a lovely forest, bells began to ring

a timeline and historical data