Very scarce pair of cabinet cards from Spirit Lake, Iowa. This shows Abbie Gardner Sharp posed outside the log cabin and also posed by the rock grave where her family was buried. Her story is as follows:

“The Rowland Gardners, nine members in all, came by covered wagon on July 16, 1856. The entire family, except Abbie 13, and her sister Eliza, died in and about the cabin on March 8, 1857. The Luce family, their cabin not yet completed, were living with the Gardners at the time of the massacre. Those murdered were Rowland Gardner, his wife Frances M. Smith Gardner, Rowland Jr., their eldest daughter, Mary M Luce and her two small children. The bodies of Robert Clark, who was temporarily living with the families, and Harvey Luce were found together where they had been ambushed while on a mission to warn the Howes and the Thatchers living on East Okoboji.

Abbie was taken hostage by the Indians and was ransomed May 30, 1857 by the Indians from the Yellow Medicine Agency for blankets, horses, ammunition, tobacco, calico, ribbons and money. She was reunited with her sister, Eliza, a few months later. Abbie married Caswell Sharp and returned and bought the cabin and the surrounding grounds. Ransom was paid by the State of Minnesota legislature.”

The cards show some wear with scuffing and rounding on the corners. A rare pair that I have not seen offered together before. 6.5” by 4.25”

Be sure to look at my other auctions for many rare original photographs that will be selling without reserve. I will have choice selections of African American, Civil War and American history. You wont want to miss these sales. Each day a bunch of new items listed with no reserve.