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.