Elijah Nicholas Wilson

White Indian Boy: My Life Among the Shoshones Elijah Nicholas Wilson

This is the true story of a pioneer boy who crossed the Great Plains by ox-team with his parents to a settlement in the Great Salt Lake basin. Unhappy with his circumstances, 11-year-old Nick Wilson ran away from home with an Indian who had befriended him. Nick spent the next two years with the Shoshone learning their language and culture and developing the skills of a hunter. He participated in buffalo hunts, fought off grizzly bears, witnessed Indian wars, and even survived being shot in the head with an arrow and left to die. Later, he became a trapper, Pony Express rider, stagecoach driver, army scout, and interpreter. He was often called to track down and negotiate peace with renegade Indians who had fled the reservation and threatened war. He found himself in danger numerous times and participated in many skirmishes with both Indians and outlaws. Growing up among the Shoshones taught him the skills he needed to survive the rough and wild west.