Captivity of the Oatman Girls
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Book Overview
In the spring of 1851, nine members of the Oatman family set out for California on the old Santa Fe Trail. Seventy miles from the California border they were attacked by Indians, who massacred the entire family, except a boy, Lorenzo (mistakenly left for dead), and two girls, Ann and Olive. The girls were taken into captivity, soon to be sold to other Indians farther west. Lorenzo, though badly wounded, found his way back to civilization. As soon as he was able, he began to search for his sisters. R. B. Stratton's narrative is based upon interviews with the Oatmans themselves. It vividly describes the Oatman family, their fateful journey, the massacre, captivity, and search. Olive Oatman's account of her captivity provided one of the earliest descriptions of life in Indian villages of the Southwest. When first published in 1857, Captivity of the Oatman Girls was a sensational bestseller, encouraging Stratton to enlarge the book for later editions. The Bison Books edition reprints in its entirety the text of the enlarged third edition.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0803291396
ISBN13:9780803291393
Release Date:June 1983
Publisher:Bison Books
Length:294 Pages
Weight:0.78 lbs.
Dimensions:0.8" x 5.3" x 8.0"
Customer Reviews
2 ratings
book is a narritive taken from brother and olive
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
a very touching book that truely pulls at the heat strings. very acurately chronicles life traveling across the prarrie till there altimate fate, from their fathers poor decisions. it is truely a sda and true account of the treatmeant and hastility of the (Apache) Yavapi indians and passing to the Mohave tribe and eventual release. i wish it would have went on to tell a little of her life after captivity, marraige (lack of having a baby and adopting) and her surviving brother lorenzos life. i seached the internet and found some of it along with the massacre site. She is burried in sherman TX. Truely a courageous and strong young women.
OATMAN GIRLS....A TALE OF TRAGEDY
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
The book is very well written and the details make the reader feel as if he/she is present at each narration. The trauma and ordeals that Olive and Mary Ann are put through are enough to bring tears to anyone's eyes. The moral in the entire narration seems to be to appreciate what you have. Not everyone is fortunate enough to lead a "normal" life.
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