Mrs. Abbie ( Gardner) Sharp
Leon Reporter, Leon, Iowa
Thursday, February l7, l92l
MRS. ABBIE GARDNER SHARP, sole survivor of the famous Spirit Lake massacre of l857, died last Friday evening at the Colfax sanitarium.She was seventy-seven years old.MRS. SHARP had been a patient at the Colfax institution for the past six months, and had been confined to her bed during the last two months, following a stroke of paralysis which was directly responsible for her death.
Before entering the sanitarium, MRS. SHARP resided at Arnolds Park, Iowa, where she lived in the original log cabin in which her parents were massacred by the Indians.Thousands of Iowa people have visited the cabin, which was kept open to visitors by MRS. SHARP during the summer months.
MRS. ABBIE GARDNER SHARP, was born in New York in l843, and was fourteen years old at the time of the famous Iowa massacre in l857.
Her father, ROWLAND GARDNER, had emigrated west in l856, building his log cabin finally at what is now Pillsbury's Point, West Okoboji Lake.It was at this cabin, which is still standing, that one of the gruesome episodes of the l857 massacre took place.
There was constant trouble between the Sioux and the Winnebagos.A neutral zone running north and south in Iowa had been established to keep the Sioux and their enemies, the Sacs and Foxes, apart.Winnebagos had been put in possession of this neutral zone.The Sioux also were always a terror to the white settlers.
In March, l857, a band of fourteen Sioux under Inkpaduta raided the settlers' cabins in the Dickinson County Lake region, massacring one family after another.They started their raids at Smithland, but reached the climax at the Lakes.Their procedure at the GARDNER cabin was typical.Here they entered by pretense of friendliness, but after eating and squabbling awhile, they murdered MR. GARDNER and all the others but ABBIE.The women were beaten and mangled.Three children, one a baby, were torn from little ABBIE and butchered also.
Twenty settlers were killed on the first day at the Lakes, March 6, and others later.Four young women, three wives of white settlers, and ABBIE GARDNER were taken off as captives.They were painted like the reds, forced to braid their hair, given heavy packs to carry, and were treated as slaves.
Volunteer Military Companies and some Regulars from Fort Ridgeway, pursued, and once the Regulars were almost in touch with Inkapaduta's fleeing band, but no battle occurred.Two of the Volunteer soldiers were frozen to death on the prairies.The winter was exceptionally severe.
The fight was west and northwest, MRS. THACHER was brutally killed in the Big Sioux drive.A brave pushed her into the stream.As she approached first one shore and then the other in her frenzied efforts to escape, she was beaten away with sticks and stones.Finally she was shot.MRS. MARBLE was traded to another band of Sioux and eventually found her way back to freedom.
Finally ABBIE and MRS. NOBLE were sold to a Yankton Sioux, but he remained with Inkapaduta's band and took them along.MRS. NOBLE was beaten to death, despite her owner's objections, by Roaring Cloud, a son of Inkapaduta, because she repelled his overtures.She was only 20 years of age.
After ABBIE, the only remaining captive had been taken into a great Yankton village on the James River in Dakota, she was ransomed by friendly Indians representing the Government of Minnesota.MRS. MARBLE's escape had led to this successful effort on ABBIE's behalf.
In l867, ABBIE married CARVILLE SHARP, a young settler.Roaring Cloud was killed some time after these events.A monument was raised at Okoboji, a few rods from the GARDNER cabin, by the State of Iowa in l894.
The remains of sixteen of the massacre victims -- all that could be collected -- were buried together near the same spot and a stone memorial raised.
--Newton Record.
Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert
"With permission from the Leon Journal Reporter"
May 23, 2002
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