Lightning Strikes!

Thunder Over the Ochoco #3

by Gale Ontko

Thunder Over the Ochoco is literally the work of a lifetime. Its author spent 40 years combing historical records and interviewing dozens of descendants of pioneer settlers and Native Americans who shared oral traditions that have been passed down through generations. What emerges is history as it has never been told before. A history of conquistadors and fur trappers, of merchants and missionaries. The history of an Indian war that was one of the longest and bloodiest conflicts ever fought on American soil, but which for political and economic reasons was covered up for decades. Above all, the history of “those first settlers of the Ochoco—men, woman, and children—who were left to wander and starve in a land they thought belonged to them through eternity, a people who in their final agony cried `Nimma ne-umpu!'—`We too are human!’ Gale Ontko tells this story with compassion and grace, in a style that combines the precision of the scholar with the vigor and drama of the novelist. The five volumes comprise nearly 2500 printed book pages and have been described by some as the most factual writing by any author on the history of the Shoshoni People. Volume III covers the period between 1860 and 1869 when rich deposits of gold were discovered in eastern Oregon, and the citizens of the Willamette Valley were out to claim their share at any cost. Shoshoni dog soldiers were equally determined that they keep to their side of the Cascade barrier. War was officially declared. The opposing forces went for each other’s throats locked in a death struggle that seemed endless. The crashing crescendo of thunder was accompanied by lightning strikes of destruction which ricocheted into four western states—and the military campaign they thought would last but a few weeks stretched into years. In flashing raids, Shoshoni dog soldiers humiliated the Oregon Cavalry, taking a deadly toll on mining settlements, homesteads, stagecoaches and wagon trains. It would take a battle-hardened army baptized in the carnage of the Civil War four years to bring the Shoshoni to their an aggressor with unlimited resources pitted against a foe that was undermanned, undernourished and outgunned—but desperately fighting for survival. Volume III is the story of the first violent Shoshoni outbreak, which would again erupt in the 1870s.

Genres: History, Adventure

495 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third volume in a five volume set on the history of the Shoshoni tribe in eastern Oregon (thus the title). The author has a writing style that is easy to follow and makes history come alive. This volume covers the years 1860 - 1869 and the discovery of gold in eastern Oregon which prompted the first Shoshoni uprising. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

I have also posted my review on Goodreads, Amazon and my review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook page.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of information, but time sequence was difficult to follow.

[Mike Thoennes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book three is the first Snake War, where the Shoshoni Tribe fights the early militia's and army's of the white soldier and wagon train immigrants. There was plenty of blood on both sides and the story is sad. But if you are dedicated to knowing the history of the Northwest then you are dedicated to reading this story. Where westward movement of settler's meet the west's natives in a fierce struggle.