LOT #47057 |
Starting Bid: $500
Abbie Gardner Sharp Postcard Signed....
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Description
Spirit Lake Massacre Survivor sends a picture postcard of the cabin where her family was killed
Abbie Gardner Sharp Postcard Signed. A postcard depicting
Abbie Gardner Sharp and the cabin she was abducted from during the
Spirit Lake Massacre in 1857, measuring 5 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches.
Signed "Compliments of Abbie Gardner Sharp" at the bottom
edge of the recto. On the verso, Sharp writes, in full:"This is a picture of the original log cabin which my father built in 1856 and where the whole family who was at home when Indians came were killed except myself who was taken captive This picture was taken many years after the massacre the first anniver[sary] after I got possession of the home in 1892 myself and eldest son is represented at the South west corner of the house. This is now the only cabin left of the pioneers who was killed by the Indians."
The Rowland Gardner family, nine in all, arrived in Iowa by covered wagon on July 16, 1856. Less than a year later, violence swept through their cabin near Spirit Lake; a renegade band of Sioux Indians attacked the homestead, killing every member of the family except for thirteen-year-old Abbie. Living with them at the time were members of the Luce family, who were also killed in the massacre. Those killed included Rowland and Frances Gardner, their children, Mary Luce and her two young children, along with Robert Clark, a temporary lodger, and Harvey Luce, who died while trying to warn nearby settlers.
Abbie was taken captive by the band and held until May 30, 1857, when she was released through a hostage exchange at the Yellow Medicine Agency. In return, the U.S. government provided goods including blankets, horses, tobacco, and money. Years later, Abbie returned to Spirit Lake, purchasing her family's cabin site and preserving it as a memorial to the lives lost.
Condition: Lightly age-toned with a touch of thumb-soiling and very light staining to the verso. Minor edgewear.
Auction Info
2026 February 26 Historical Manuscripts & Texana Signature® Auction #6328 (go to Auction Home page)
Proxy Bidding Ends
February
26th
Thursday
10:50 am CT
Auction Dates
February
26th
Thursday
Proxy Bidding Time Remaining
19 Days
23h 16m 33s
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This lot is in: 1 -
Signature® Floor Session (Live Floor, Live Phone, Mail, Fax, Internet, and Heritage Live):
(Lots 47001-47282) - 11:00 AM Central Time, Thursday, February 26, 2026.
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Additional Location Info:
Heritage Auctions
2801 W. Airport Freeway
Dallas, TX 75261
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