Captivity Narrative: Olive Oatman Fairchild, 1837-1903
The story of Olive Oatman's captivity with the Mohave tribe in Arizona has been retold many times, the details often garbled in the telling.
Olive Ann Oatman was born in Illinois in 1837 to a large family with at least 6 siblings, 3 brothers and 3 sisters. In 1850, the family joined a wagon train bound for California. As so often happened with tragedy-stricken wagon trains, Oatman's party, under her father's leadership, split with the main group near Santa Fe, New Mexico. When they reached Maricopa Wells in what is now Pinal County, Arizona, they were warned that the stretch ahead was not only inhospitable country, but also tracked through the range of several tribes who did not welcome trespassers. The Oatman family decided to proceed further, alone, while the other families remained at Maricopa Wells. About 80 miles away from what is now Yuma, Arizona, the group was approached by Native Americans. In her memoirs and to interviewers years later, Olive identified the Natives as Tonto Apaches. More likely, they were western Yavapai. They initially asked for food and tobacco, which the Oatmans provided, but were attacked. Father, Mother and three of the children were killed. 15-year-old Lorenzo was clubbed and left for dead. When he regained consciousness, he found that his sisters 14-year-old Olive and 7-year-old Mary Ann were missing. Lorenzo hiked to the nearest settlement for help. The slain family members were buried under a cairn in the desert.
Meanwhile, the Yavapais took the girls to a village almost 100 miles away, where they were used as slaves, fetching water and firewood. Olive later said they were both beaten and mistreated. A year later, some Mohaves stopped to trade two horses, blankets, vegetables and trade goods for the two girls. They were adopted into the family of a Mohave leader Espenesay, whose wife Aespaneo and daughter Topeka treated the girls with genuine kindness. At some point, Mary Ann perished during a drought, but Olive was given a plot of land to farm and most likely adopted into the tribe. She later stated that she remained a slave and that she was tattooed on her chin as sign of slavery, but more likely, the tattoos and the gift of land were proof that she'd been assimilated, a common fate of captives. Fearing that her entire family had been killed, Olive passed up opportunities to reach out to Whites nearby, including some railway workers. Olive was given a clan designation, Oach, and a Mohave name, Spantsa, which could mean lusty, or also Rotten Womb. A friend later wrote that Olive confided that she had married into the tribe and produced two sons, a fact Olive later denied in her memoir. Like most captives who returned to White society, she was at pains to say that the Mohave had treated her kindly, that she was never raped or sexualized in any way while with them.
Meanwhile, rumors had begun to surface about a White girl living among the band of Mohave. Five years into her captivity, or when Oatman was 19, a Yuma messenger was dispatched from authorities at Fort Yuma to inquire about Oatman and to demand her return. At first, the Mohave denied any White girl living with them and tried to hide her. Later, after a horse and more trade good were exchanged, Topeka agreed to accompany her adopted sister to Fort Yuma. Olive had to borrow clothing from the post commandant's wife in exchange for her Mohave dress, which included a skirt with no top. Oatman at first had difficult readapting to White society and missed the Native family which had treated her so well. Meanwhile, news of her capture and return spread throughout Arizona and made headlines even in the east. Lorenzo was soon reunited with his sister.
In 1857, a pastor, Royal Stratton, wrote a book Life Among the Indians, about Olive and Mary Ann. Proceeds from the book went to pay for Olive and Lorenzo to attend University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. Olive also gave interviews and went on lecture tours promoting the book and talking about her experiences. In 1865, Olive married a rancher, John Fairchild and the two moved to Texas where they adopted a daughter named Mamie. She died at her home in Texas, not as is popularly supposed, in a mental asylum in New York.
Olive Ann Oatman was born in Illinois in 1837 to a large family with at least 6 siblings, 3 brothers and 3 sisters. In 1850, the family joined a wagon train bound for California. As so often happened with tragedy-stricken wagon trains, Oatman's party, under her father's leadership, split with the main group near Santa Fe, New Mexico. When they reached Maricopa Wells in what is now Pinal County, Arizona, they were warned that the stretch ahead was not only inhospitable country, but also tracked through the range of several tribes who did not welcome trespassers. The Oatman family decided to proceed further, alone, while the other families remained at Maricopa Wells. About 80 miles away from what is now Yuma, Arizona, the group was approached by Native Americans. In her memoirs and to interviewers years later, Olive identified the Natives as Tonto Apaches. More likely, they were western Yavapai. They initially asked for food and tobacco, which the Oatmans provided, but were attacked. Father, Mother and three of the children were killed. 15-year-old Lorenzo was clubbed and left for dead. When he regained consciousness, he found that his sisters 14-year-old Olive and 7-year-old Mary Ann were missing. Lorenzo hiked to the nearest settlement for help. The slain family members were buried under a cairn in the desert.Meanwhile, the Yavapais took the girls to a village almost 100 miles away, where they were used as slaves, fetching water and firewood. Olive later said they were both beaten and mistreated. A year later, some Mohaves stopped to trade two horses, blankets, vegetables and trade goods for the two girls. They were adopted into the family of a Mohave leader Espenesay, whose wife Aespaneo and daughter Topeka treated the girls with genuine kindness. At some point, Mary Ann perished during a drought, but Olive was given a plot of land to farm and most likely adopted into the tribe. She later stated that she remained a slave and that she was tattooed on her chin as sign of slavery, but more likely, the tattoos and the gift of land were proof that she'd been assimilated, a common fate of captives. Fearing that her entire family had been killed, Olive passed up opportunities to reach out to Whites nearby, including some railway workers. Olive was given a clan designation, Oach, and a Mohave name, Spantsa, which could mean lusty, or also Rotten Womb. A friend later wrote that Olive confided that she had married into the tribe and produced two sons, a fact Olive later denied in her memoir. Like most captives who returned to White society, she was at pains to say that the Mohave had treated her kindly, that she was never raped or sexualized in any way while with them.
Meanwhile, rumors had begun to surface about a White girl living among the band of Mohave. Five years into her captivity, or when Oatman was 19, a Yuma messenger was dispatched from authorities at Fort Yuma to inquire about Oatman and to demand her return. At first, the Mohave denied any White girl living with them and tried to hide her. Later, after a horse and more trade good were exchanged, Topeka agreed to accompany her adopted sister to Fort Yuma. Olive had to borrow clothing from the post commandant's wife in exchange for her Mohave dress, which included a skirt with no top. Oatman at first had difficult readapting to White society and missed the Native family which had treated her so well. Meanwhile, news of her capture and return spread throughout Arizona and made headlines even in the east. Lorenzo was soon reunited with his sister.
In 1857, a pastor, Royal Stratton, wrote a book Life Among the Indians, about Olive and Mary Ann. Proceeds from the book went to pay for Olive and Lorenzo to attend University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. Olive also gave interviews and went on lecture tours promoting the book and talking about her experiences. In 1865, Olive married a rancher, John Fairchild and the two moved to Texas where they adopted a daughter named Mamie. She died at her home in Texas, not as is popularly supposed, in a mental asylum in New York.
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