Historical Photos To Blow Your Mind: New Release!

The Tattooed Texan

The story behind this photograph of Olive Oatman is hard to believe. Roy Oatman took his wife and seven children on a perilous journey from Illinois to California—but he didn’t realize the trip would claim nearly all of their lives.

As the Oatmans traveled through Arizona, they were attacked by Yavapai Indians. Only three of the children survived, including 13-year-old Olive who was forced into slave labor. The Yavapai Indians eventually traded Olive to a Mohave tribe, where she was considered family and was even tattooed to identify her as a tribal member. When the U.S. government discovered a white woman was living with a Mohave tribe, they stepped in to rescue her, despite her desire to stay. Olive was returned to live among the white settlers in Texas, although her facial tattoos were a constant reminder of the life she grew to love and left behind.