Lone Woman

In 1960 Scott O’Dell wrote wrote a children’s novel call Island of Blue Dolphins. It’s the story of a young Nicoleño Indian girl who lived alone on the island. It became an international best-seller. In 1961 it was awarded the Newberry Medal and in 1964 the story was made into a movie.

The Island of Blue Dolphins is based on the true story of Juana Maria, who lived alone for 18 years on San Nicolas Island off the coast of California. The story was a cause célèbre in the 19th century and now researchers are digging out the facts behind it, both literally and figuratively:

Schwebel, who is putting together a digital archive of media reports, said she found hundreds of articles, including one from 1847, years before the Lone Woman went to the mainland.

This week, Channel Islands National Park hosted Schwebel and archeologist Steve Schwartz for a live broadcast from Anacapa, another of the Channel Islands, about the story behind O’Dell’s historical fiction.

Students from three schools in Idaho, Ohio and Santa Paula participated online.

Schwartz and Schwebel and others have worked with the Channel Islands National Park to put together research about the Lone Woman and her story for the public. A website is expected to launch late this summer.

The real story did not have a happy ending:

The last of the native Nicoleño living on the remote island, the Lone Woman was left there when others were taken to the mainland in 1835. She survived alone for 18 years.

Then in 1853, she was taken to Santa Barbara. She contracted dysentery and died just seven weeks later.