Description
A handwritten manuscript entitled "The Indian Woman of San Nicolas," which records the remembrances of George Nidever, as
recorded by E. F. Murray in Santa Barbara, California, 1878 November 4, and a handwritten note of biographical information
on Nidever.
Background
Juana Maria (died October 18, 1853), better known to history as the Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island (her birth name is unknown),
was a Native American woman who was the last surviving member of her tribe, the Nicoleño. She lived alone on San Nicolas Island
from 1835 until her discovery in 1853.George Nidever (also spelled Nidiver) (1802 December 20 – 1883 March 24) was an American mountain man, explorer, fur trapper,
memoirist and sailor. In the 1830s he became one of the first wave of American settlers to move to Mexican California, where
he made his living in fur trapping. In 1853, he led the expedition that rescued Juana Maria, the last member of the Nicoleño
people, from San Nicolas Island where she had been living alone for eighteen years. Toward the end of his life Nidever wrote
a memoir, "Life and Adventures of George Nidever."
Extent
0.1 Linear Feet
(1 folder)
Restrictions
Copyright has not been assigned to the Autry Museum of the American West. All requests for permission to publish or quote
from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Research Services and Archives. Permission for publication is
given on behalf of the Autry Museum of the American West as the custodian of the physical items and is not intended to include
or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.
Availability
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