Captivity of the Oatman Girls - R B Stratton

In 1851, a family of west bound Mormon settlers were attacked by Indians in the desert of  the Mexican territory, about 80 miles from Fort Yuma, which was just across the Colorado River from present day Yuma, Arizona.  Most of the family was murdered, though the 15 year old son, Lorenzo, left for dead, survived, and two daughters, Ann, 8 and Olive, 14, were taken prisoners.  Ann died of starvation after a year in captivity and Olive was ransomed after four years, returning to society to re-join her brother.

This book is a re-publication of the third edition of the original text that was published in 1859.  The story was a sensationalizing of the attack and her captivity.  The often displayed image of a young woman with tattooed stripes along her chin is of Olive.  The writing is in the flowery, pious style of the mid-19th century.  There's little insight into the life of the tribe as Olive tells her story to the writer, the emphasis being on her survival and reunion. 

I found controversy in more modern accounts, some claiming she had children while in captivity, others denying that story.  Maybe some targeted DNA testing amongst the Yavapai and Mohave tribes would reveal something!

Published: 1857 (original)  Read: March 2018  Genre: historical biography