The Westward Wagon Train

About the Book

The Clark Family was living in St. Louis, Missouri in the year of 1849. Joseph the father, had heard that people were finding gold in the state of California. Joe, as he liked to be call, summoned his family to meet and discuss a possible move to California. Surprisingly, the idea was well received and they started packing to make the trip. Little did they know that this trip was going to be a very special one. When they got to Colorado and where the Continental Divide was located. One morning they hiked to the top of the Divide and were approached by an angel. This angel gave them two choices in time to live. They discussed what time periods in which to live. One was moving ahead one hundred years to experience the time period of 1959. The other was to move ahead fifty years to live in the year 2009. A thorough discussion of living in these two time periods is explained. There is a stark difference of experiences and living during these two times. The author’s personal experiences of living during the 1959 and 2009 time periods is discussed in depth of these times in American History. His purpose in doing so is to show how American life and standards had gone downhill to the year 2009. These were subtle changes that people living in that time did not recognize or realize was happening to them. Society started accepting abortion, same-sex marriage, couples living together without marrying, abuse toward women and children, child pornography, just to name a few of the evils that we live with today. There still one part of the Clark’s story to be told. After they had lived and experienced these two time periods the angel reappears before them on one of their vacation trips back to the Continental Divide. The angel gave them a choice to go and live permanently during any of the three (their original 1849 included) periods. The family discussed the pros and cons of living in each period. It was a difficult decision. To discover which time period they chose to return, you will learn.

About the Author

Bob A. Jackson was born on April 2, 1948 in Clinton, OK. His family moved to Borger, TX. in 1950. He lived there for twenty years growing up in a carefree lifestyle. He has many fond memories of those days. It was a great time in our nation’s history. The war was over, jobs were plentiful, and families were growing in leaps and bounds. Bob’s educational experiences include Borger H.S. graduation in 1966, Frank Phillips College graduation A.A. degree in 1968, West Texas A & M University-Canyon, TX. B.S. degree in Industrial Technology Education-1970, Texas A & M University-Commerce, TX. M.S. degree in Guidance & Counseling-1975. Bob taught “at risk” students in Pampa I.S.D. for three years. This experience led him into wanting to be a high school counselor. A friend told him about a “Graduate Research Assistant” job in Commerce. This allowed him to work and go to college full time to get his Master of Science degree in Guidance and Counseling. When he graduated, he heard about a Vocational Counselor job in Plano I.S.D. He interviewed and was offered that job. He became a License Professional Counselor (L.P.C.) in May of 1982. This allowed him to open a part-time private practice while continuing his work full-time as a high school counselor in the Plano ISD school district. He was a counselor in Plano for 28 yrs. before he retired. His private practice specialties included drug counseling, adolescent behavior, and career counseling for all age levels. On December 30, 1970, he married Gwen Cargo. This coming December 30, they will celebrate 50 years of marriage. They have two grown children Samuel and Sara. Both Bob and Gwen are retired now. They have lived in Plano for 45 years.