The Massacre at Fall Creek [Paperback]

Jessamyn West (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 1986

A dramatic, sweeping saga of life on the Indiana frontier in 1824, based on actual historical events. The Fall Creek Massacre was a unique occurrence-the first recorded instance of whites being formally charged with murder for killing Indians. Five whites were accused, tried by jury, convicted, and executed. West uses this historical record as the source for a fictional account of the events of the massacre and trial.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jessamyn West (1902-1984) was born in Indiana to Quaker parents and lived most of her life in California. Her work has appeared in Harper's, Mademoiselle, Kenyon Review, the New Yorker, and Redbook, among others. Her other books include The State of Stony Lonesome, Massacre at Fall Creek, and The Collected Stories of Jessamyn West.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (September 30, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156576813
• ISBN-13: 978-0156576819
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #967,223 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great book of J West's., June 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Massacre at Fall Creek (Paperback)

Jessamyn West is a great fictional writer of historical events. The Massacre at Fall Creek is great Midwest history, and is similar in style to James Alexander Thom and many of his great fictional historical novels. This is a great book for students of Indiana history--should be recommended by teachers.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Historical fiction at its best!, December 15, 1999

By 

Katherin Garland (jacksonville, florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Massacre at Fall Creek (Paperback)

This book was great. I used it to further enhance an understanding and foundation for Native Americans and their plight. This book shows how western expansion affected/effected the Natives and how America came to realize that they were human beings also and not just animals. Anyone who wants to gain an understanding of Native Americans through historical fiction will love the book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid bit of historical fiction, June 27, 2008

By 

DWD "DWD's Reviews" (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Massacre at Fall Creek (Paperback)

For this Hoosier reviewer, "The Massacre at Fall Creek" is most interesting since the places involved are no more than a 45 minute drive from my house.

Jessamyn West does a great job of getting the "feel" of an 1824 frontier community - how small it was, how truly far away it was from "civilization" and how that isolation created a unique culture.

The storyline is based on a real incident in which several white men from a community to the north of Pendleton, Indiana killed two families of Indians, including their children and stole their furs. Records from those days are "iffy" at best so West has to fill in a lot of blanks as she goes along. In fact, she even uses fake names for the white men involved, although it may be that in the 33 years since her book was written additional research has revealed the names of the men.

Of course, the Indians were outraged at this treaty violation and the U.S. government decided that there was going to be a real trial and it paid for a team of prosectution and defense lawyers to conduct a real trial. A jail was built (ironically, Pendleton is the site of one of Indiana's prison facilities nowadays as well) and a trial was held for four of the five white men. The fifth white man was never captured by white authorities.

The book focuses on the love life of one of the young ladies of the settlement (her love interests intertwine in all aspects of the case), the trial and the aftermath. At times this book reads more like a romance novel, at othertimes like a legal thriller but it is a solid, enjoyable read about a sad, tragic moment on the Hoosier frontier.