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The White Indian Boy: The Story of Uncle Nick Among the Shoshones
What was life like to live among the Native Americans in the nineteenth century?
At twelve years old Elijah Nicholas Wilson ran away from his family.
Fighting off the constraints of his Mormon upbringing he found a new home with a Shoshone Indian tribe.
Under their guidance, particularly of the Great Chief Washakie, he learned how to live and survive in the wild lands of the far west.
But realising that he could not stay with his adopted family for ever he left the Shoshones and returned to his family as a teenager.
Those lessons that he learnt from the Native Americans stayed with him for the rest of his eventful life when he worked as a Pony Express rider, stagecoach driver, trapper, and whatever other job he could do to support his family
He never lost his connection with Native Americans and would frequently act as a translator and liaison between various tribes and the ever-encroaching United States.
The White Indian Boy is a fascinating memoir of a young boys life spent with a Shoshone tribe and how their love and teachings greatly influenced him throughout his later life.
Yet one account alone cannot answer the question of what life like to live among the Native Americans in the nineteenth century so the publisher has therefore included two other accounts of lives spent with Native American tribes in the nineteenth century, both with different subject matters and tones to Wilson’s account.
The first is J. W. Schultz’s My Life as an Indian which covers his adult life with the Blackfeet, where he immersed himself in the ways of these Native Americans, assisting his friends in fighting rivals, hunting alongside them and even marrying Nat-ah’-ki, a Blackfoot woman.
The second follows the life of Nelson Lee who was captured by the Comanches and sold as a slave between various warriors before he was eventually able to make his escape in the mid-nineteenth century.
Together they should provide three different insights into what life was life among Native Americans in the nineteenth century.
Elijah Nicholas Wilson was known as "Yagaiki" when among the Shoshones, and in his later years as "Uncle Nick" when entertaining young children with his adventurous exploits. His book was first published in 1910 and he passed away in 1915.
At twelve years old Elijah Nicholas Wilson ran away from his family.
Fighting off the constraints of his Mormon upbringing he found a new home with a Shoshone Indian tribe.
Under their guidance, particularly of the Great Chief Washakie, he learned how to live and survive in the wild lands of the far west.
But realising that he could not stay with his adopted family for ever he left the Shoshones and returned to his family as a teenager.
Those lessons that he learnt from the Native Americans stayed with him for the rest of his eventful life when he worked as a Pony Express rider, stagecoach driver, trapper, and whatever other job he could do to support his family
He never lost his connection with Native Americans and would frequently act as a translator and liaison between various tribes and the ever-encroaching United States.
The White Indian Boy is a fascinating memoir of a young boys life spent with a Shoshone tribe and how their love and teachings greatly influenced him throughout his later life.
Yet one account alone cannot answer the question of what life like to live among the Native Americans in the nineteenth century so the publisher has therefore included two other accounts of lives spent with Native American tribes in the nineteenth century, both with different subject matters and tones to Wilson’s account.
The first is J. W. Schultz’s My Life as an Indian which covers his adult life with the Blackfeet, where he immersed himself in the ways of these Native Americans, assisting his friends in fighting rivals, hunting alongside them and even marrying Nat-ah’-ki, a Blackfoot woman.
The second follows the life of Nelson Lee who was captured by the Comanches and sold as a slave between various warriors before he was eventually able to make his escape in the mid-nineteenth century.
Together they should provide three different insights into what life was life among Native Americans in the nineteenth century.
Elijah Nicholas Wilson was known as "Yagaiki" when among the Shoshones, and in his later years as "Uncle Nick" when entertaining young children with his adventurous exploits. His book was first published in 1910 and he passed away in 1915.
134 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 14, 1910
367 people are currently reading
410 people want to read
About the author
Elijah Nicholas Wilson
26 books5 followersElijah Nicholas Wilson was known as "Yagaiki" when among the Shoshones, and in his later years as "Uncle Nick" when entertaining young children with his adventurous exploits. He was a Mormon American pioneer, childhood runaway, "adopted" brother of Shoshone Chief Washakie, Pony Express rider for the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company, stagecoach driver for Ben Holloday's Overland Stage, blacksmith, prison guard, farmer, Mormon bishop, prison inmate (unlawful cohabitation), carpenter/cabinet maker, fiddler, trader, trapper, and "frontier doctor" (diphtheria and smallpox).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
November 26, 2025
The author definitely knows how to tell a story. I could feel his joy on every page. This was a quick read. His accounts of running away from home just to have a pony of his own was already intriguing, but the fact that he then lived with the Shoshone for two years makes his experiences even more remarkable.
The book focuses mainly on these specific adventures, but I found myself wishing for a broader look at his entire life, which was colorful as well. While the writing wasn't polished, he absolutely succeeded in sharing his experiences in a compelling way.
Overall, I enjoyed this one. So 4 stars.
The book focuses mainly on these specific adventures, but I found myself wishing for a broader look at his entire life, which was colorful as well. While the writing wasn't polished, he absolutely succeeded in sharing his experiences in a compelling way.
Overall, I enjoyed this one. So 4 stars.
July 23, 2015
It was okay. Lots of spelling errors and punctuation errors. It's kind of a choppy read but when you consider that it's an autobiography from someone who never went to school it's actually quite impressive!
Great insight into the pioneers early experiences with the Indians.
An okay read and definitely an easy one!
Great insight into the pioneers early experiences with the Indians.
An okay read and definitely an easy one!
January 1, 2019
First person history
Fascinating and plain spoken first person accounts of life in the old west.Speaks to the hardiness, struggles,suffering and amazing survival of our American forefathers. Readable and hard to put down.
Fascinating and plain spoken first person accounts of life in the old west.Speaks to the hardiness, struggles,suffering and amazing survival of our American forefathers. Readable and hard to put down.
May 29, 2019
Fascinating read
Really enjoyed this book which is actually multiple accounts of living among the American Indian. Though sometimes brutal and graphic they give a glimpse into a completely different way of life. Well worth reading,
Really enjoyed this book which is actually multiple accounts of living among the American Indian. Though sometimes brutal and graphic they give a glimpse into a completely different way of life. Well worth reading,
June 11, 2019
The writing style is different then I'm used to, so it was hard at first. But it was a fascinating read. and since I've lived in Idaho and utah, it was easier to follow all of the locations that were mentioned.
November 10, 2019
I bought this because it's my great great grandmother's uncle and it's such an interesting read that kept me enthralled. I love his writing style and the way he makes a story come to life. Thanks "Uncle Nick" for the neat story of my family history.
November 14, 2020
This read deserves 4 stars for being a compelling personal account of life among the Indians, the pony express, the fur trading and many other first hand adventures in the Wild West of the late 1800s, even if the writing per se is not much!
December 24, 2018
Fascinating story, writing is a little uneven, but gives the sense of the man. Very good.
March 19, 2019
Interesting story of a boy who chose to live with the Indians. Compassionate story of the Indians. Not all treated him well, but his adopted family loved him and took good care of him.
June 29, 2020
Over a decade ago, I asked my dad what his father’s favorite books were. My paternal grandfather had always been an interesting person to me. He died many years before I was born, but the stories my dad used to tell were filled with so much love, fun, mischief, and determination that I’ve always wished to know more.
As a reader, I believe favorite books reveal a lot about a person and so I wanted to know what Grandpa’s favorites were. My dad could only remember two book titles of which this book was one. (Grandpa was a farmer, an outdoorsman, a family man, and a schoolteacher so his leisure reading hours could not have been many.)
It took me a long time to read a book I was so eager to know about. The cover and the title made me squirm with discomfort. Would the book be fair to the rights and wrongs of the various views of those in all the conflicts? It was much better than I thought and I read it in an intense focus in one afternoon.
The chapters detailing his years living with a Shoshone tribe and family were by far the most interesting parts, but it was all a fascinating tale of a most active life. Knowing what I do of my grandpa (and my dad), it makes perfect sense that this is a book my dad remembered his father enjoyed.
As a reader, I believe favorite books reveal a lot about a person and so I wanted to know what Grandpa’s favorites were. My dad could only remember two book titles of which this book was one. (Grandpa was a farmer, an outdoorsman, a family man, and a schoolteacher so his leisure reading hours could not have been many.)
It took me a long time to read a book I was so eager to know about. The cover and the title made me squirm with discomfort. Would the book be fair to the rights and wrongs of the various views of those in all the conflicts? It was much better than I thought and I read it in an intense focus in one afternoon.
The chapters detailing his years living with a Shoshone tribe and family were by far the most interesting parts, but it was all a fascinating tale of a most active life. Knowing what I do of my grandpa (and my dad), it makes perfect sense that this is a book my dad remembered his father enjoyed.
November 17, 2024
Autobiography of Elijah Nicholas Wilson (1842 - 1915). Born in Illinois, and walked to Utah in 1850 with his pioneer family. They settled in Grantsville, out in the desert. They had little to eat and were starving. Their clothes were worn out. They met a Gosiute family and Nick became friends with their son, Pantsuk. Nick quickly learned his language. He had a gift for learning tribal languages. Not yet twelve years of age, he left home to join the Indians. He did not tell his family. He describes his new family, travels, meeting other tribes, hunting, wars, etc. Years later he saw his birth family. He was a trapper, a hunter, an explorer, rode for the Pony Express, drove for the Overland Stage, explored Jackson's Hole, founded the town of Wilson, Wyoming and died there.
January 3, 2021
This book is better than any Hollywood version of the old west.
I really enjoyed this book! Being that it's a first person narrative, you get an actual sense of what life was like in the 1800's for pioneers and Indians alike. With all that Uncle Nick went through, I'm surprised he lived to tell about it. We get a much more fair and honest portrait of the different Indian tribes, how the government really 'spoke with a forked tongue' making promises they didn't keep which often provoked the Indians to war. Lots of adventures and subsistence living, waist deep snow storms; to say it was not an easy life is an understatement. It kept me turning pages.
I really enjoyed this book! Being that it's a first person narrative, you get an actual sense of what life was like in the 1800's for pioneers and Indians alike. With all that Uncle Nick went through, I'm surprised he lived to tell about it. We get a much more fair and honest portrait of the different Indian tribes, how the government really 'spoke with a forked tongue' making promises they didn't keep which often provoked the Indians to war. Lots of adventures and subsistence living, waist deep snow storms; to say it was not an easy life is an understatement. It kept me turning pages.
September 7, 2022
I'm a bit partial because Elijah Wilson is my ancestor, but I find his stories fascinating and entertaining. Elijah led quite an independent and exciting life! The strength and resiliency of the pioneers is truly inspiring to me. I have read this with each of my boys and I enjoy his stories every time I re-read it.
January 6, 2022
My first book of 2022! Happy I got to read a well written and true story about one’s experience living amongst a Native American tribe, for one of my reading goals this year is to read more about my indigenous roots. Elijah Wilson is a great story teller.
January 16, 2022
This is one of those autobiographys where you scratch your head and wonder how one person could be involved in so many adventures and live to tell all about them. It's truely so crazy that it must be true, no one could make this stuff up!
September 2, 2022
Enjoyable read of the early Wests tribulations. He certainly led a varied and exciting life. Particularly interesting was the section of when he worked for the Pony Express. I love reading about the people who were hardcore enough to make it and help this country develop.
August 20, 2023
this is actually totally fascinating. it seems relatively unedited from whatever this guy originally wrote, and is a really cool account of his very crazy life. while it is obviously quite racist, it's not as racist as it might be, for what it is.
January 30, 2025
Enlightening
I learned from this book. Its adventurous, interesting, and an easy read. It held my interest. If you're familiar with the northwest area it covers it's even more fun to read.
I learned from this book. Its adventurous, interesting, and an easy read. It held my interest. If you're familiar with the northwest area it covers it's even more fun to read.
April 12, 2025
I always give biographies 5 stars, but someone's story shouldn't be marked down.
Great story written by a man who never went to school. These are the kind of histories that are often lost. I am glad he took the time to tell his story.
Great story written by a man who never went to school. These are the kind of histories that are often lost. I am glad he took the time to tell his story.
October 6, 2019
Didn't realize it was three books and one
Wilson's life is interesting read . The other two books are questionable what a fun read . Historical fiction is not my favorite .
Wilson's life is interesting read . The other two books are questionable what a fun read . Historical fiction is not my favorite .
May 15, 2020
This is a story I'd been told my whole life as it happened around where my dad grew up. I finally found the book.
September 29, 2020
Good book
This book is a simple first hand life experiences in living and associating with the Native American people before they were all out on the reservations.
This book is a simple first hand life experiences in living and associating with the Native American people before they were all out on the reservations.
October 16, 2020
This book has a lot of good stories from settling the Wild West.
Read
November 5, 2020Very enjoyable
December 14, 2020
A fun read about Elijah Wilson of Wilson, Wyoming.
January 22, 2021
An enjoyable read.
I enjoyed reading this book. It was entertaining and informative. If you have an interest in stories about the pioneer and Indian years, this is a must read !
I enjoyed reading this book. It was entertaining and informative. If you have an interest in stories about the pioneer and Indian years, this is a must read !
May 20, 2021
Loved this book when I was younger. I then found out Glenn is related to the main character. Putting this on the list for books I want my boys to read.
September 8, 2021
Really interesting read about a fascinating character and time in American History.
January 31, 2023
True to life
Extremely entertaining and exciting tale of the real west with believable characters and settings. Further adventures of this daring soul would be a good read.
Extremely entertaining and exciting tale of the real west with believable characters and settings. Further adventures of this daring soul would be a good read.
February 15, 2024
The writing is a bit crude, however this adds some authenticity to the book. Very interesting story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews