Renee sansom flood biography of williams

Renee Sansom Flood is an award-winning author, historian, educator and speaker whose sixth book of historical nonfiction, Lost Bird of Wounded Knee, was an entry considered for the Pulitzer Prize in 1995.

When Flood first saw an 1891 photograph of L.W. Colby holding his adopted daughter, Lost Bird, she saw the daring look in Colby’s eyes and took the challenge. The very next day she launched into her 15-year journey to find out what happened to Lost Bird.

Renee sansom flood biography of williams county

In the beginning, she was only able to spend her free time researching the story, but later received a grant from the Burlington Northern Foundation to complete her manuscript research. What began as a simple story about a Lakota girl ultimately exploded into a saga of family torment, women’s suffrage and lost souls.

The culmination of Flood’s research came when she watched as Lost Bird’s remains were returned to the Wounded Knee Memorial and buried beside her Indian relatives in 1991 in an emotionall