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Eighteen Years Alone on an Island
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Unbelievable RecordsJul 13, 2026

Eighteen Years Alone on an Island

Eighteen Years Alone on an Island Her tribe left San Nicolas Island in 1835. Juana Maria was accidentally left behind. She lived alone off California for 18 years. When found in 1853, she wore a dress of cormorant feathers. Her hut was built of whale bones. She inspired 'Island of the Blue Dolphins.'

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Source

Smithsonian Magazine, 2012, 'The Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island'; also 1853 accounts by George Nidever archived at the Santa Barbara Mission

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