Olive Oatman: Captivity of the Oatman Girls

by Royal B. Stratton, Eric Miller

Olive Oatman was fourteen years old when her Mormon family was attacked by a Native American tribe in present-day Arizona. Her parents and four siblings were killed, while Olive and a younger sister were captured and later sold to a Mohave tribe. Her sister would later die of hunger, but Olive survived and spent several years among the Mohave people. She was returned to mainstream American society, however, at the age of nineteen when rumors of a white girl living among the Mohave began to circulate. Her re-introduction caused something of a sensation, partly because of the prominent blue face tattoos she received during her time among the Mohave. She would later speak of her time with the Mohave very fondly, and her transition to a very different culture and then back again were no doubt quite complicated. This story was originally published in 1857 under the title "Captivity of the Oatman Girls Being an Interesting Narrative of Life Among the Apache and Mohave Indians" by Royal B. Stratton. It is re-published here in its entirety.

189 pages, Paperback

Published October 6, 2018

Reviews

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book really harrowing. Before I had visited the town of Oatman in Arizona, I had never ever heard of the horrendous ordeal Olive and her family had to endure at the hands of the Indians. I simply remember seeing the book in the window of a restaurant in Oatman. The book can be difficult to understand in places as I believe the book has been edited a few times and more or less written down based on direct dialogue with Olive, her brother and other witnesses from the late 1850s. A really interesting read and certainly gives a great insight in to the hardships many people had to endure in search of a better life in the American West.

[Patty Eagle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting heart wrenching historical story. This was a difficult read because of the writing and speech style of the mid 1800’s. I found myself reading and rereading sections. Very interesting and surely makes me happy not to have lived during that period of time.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short very interesting story about the Oatman Family massacre by Indians in 1851 southwest of Phoenix and the captivity of two family members. Look up ‘the girl with the blue tattoo” for more.

[Becky Leuenhagen · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are not bogged down by the superfluous style of the the author, you will learn a little bit of the life of Olive Oatman.

[Shirley Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was hard to read but I got the story they were trying to tell. So sad and such a hard ordeal for two small children to endure.