For the first fourteen years of his life, David K. Mc Arthur lived on a huge sheep ranch encompassing the slopes of Idaho's Coyote Mountain. Left with his aunt and uncle while the rest of his family lived in California, David wouldn't meet his siblings until he turned three.
David's tiny home had no electricity or running water. When his family visited, a tarp was strung across the room to create some measure of privacy for the two families. The children slept in the tiny attic.
From the Shadows of Coyote Mountain
recounts David's eventful life-and the tensions that brewed within his family.
Those who grew up in the poverty of the Great Depression and the dustbowl era had two paths laid out for them. They could give up and subside on what little they had or they could fight for something more.
David chose to fight. His path led him to his family in Oakland, a tour with the US Marine Corp, and a Captaincy at the Oakland Fire Department. This is a man who, quite literally, survived fire and flood before he reached his teens. This is his story.