Indian Maiden Hit by a Train

Owego, New York

Sa-sa-na Loft was called "the Mohawk Maiden" in her obituary and "a Daughter of the Forest" on her tombstone. She was 21, from western Canada, and had been in Owego for only two days when, on February 17, 1852, she was crushed by a runaway freight train.

The town felt so bad about what happened to Sa-sa-na that it asked her family to allow her to be buried in Owego. The spot chosen was the nicest one in Evergreen Cemetery, a hilltop perch with sweeping views of the Susquehanna Valley. A 17-foot-high obelisk was erected at the head of Sa-sa-na's grave, which, according to the town historian, is the oldest white-sponsored grave tribute to an indigenous woman in America.

Graveside offerings of pebbles and pennies show that after 170 years Sa-sa-na still has fans.