She spent two days in Owego in 1852. Her death forever changed the village

Gerald Smith
·4 min read
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The screams of the passengers aboard the Erie train and the nearby platform could be heard on Feb. 18, 1852.

The alert about the runaway train heading down the hill had been made, and everyone began to scramble – seeking the fastest way out of the danger.

For Sa-Sa-Na Loft and her sister, Ya-Go-Weis Loft, the fear of losing each other was very real. Somehow, they struggled amidst all the other passengers and clamored their way toward the stairs and off of the train.

Both sisters made it to the platform. Their brother, Rok-Wa-Ho Loft was already there after purchasing the tickets for their ride at the station office. Somehow, they were all safe from the oncoming train. Except they were not.

The portrait of the Loft children, painted by R. Merwin and based on an earlier photograph.
The portrait of the Loft children, painted by R. Merwin and based on an earlier photograph.

The runaway train hit the back of the passenger train and demolished it because of the momentum of traveling for many miles down the hillside. The impact not only splintered the stopped Erie train, but it also catapulted the oncoming train and created a large crater pushing everything from the impact into the newly created hole.

Everything including a portion of the station platform ripped away by the two trains becoming one. Everything on that portion of the platform, including Sa-Sa-Na Loft, who was pulled into the crater and the debris by the catastrophe.

In an instant, the young woman with a beautiful voice was no more. She died at that moment, while her brother and sister survived the accident. Within hours, the word spread about the train disaster on the Erie tracks, including the loss of life.

The home of Judge Charles Avery where Sa-Sa-Nah Loft lay in wake.
The home of Judge Charles Avery where Sa-Sa-Nah Loft lay in wake.

Word spread across Delaware, Broome, and into Tioga County where Judge Charles Avery felt compelled to intervene and bring relief to the Loft family. He arranged for Sa-Sa-Na’s remains to be put into a proper casket and returned via train to Owego. That casket was placed for a viewing at his home on Front Street in the village, and then interred in the Avery family vault that was in the Presbyterian Church cemetery in Owego.

It was planned that Sa-Sa-Na’s brother would come back and take her body back for burial in their homeland of Canada, among the other Mohawks. But there was an increasing interest to leave her body in Owego and place her in Evergreen Cemetery. She had, through her life, and her death, become an adopted daughter of the people of this Southern Tier village. Sa-Sa-Na’s brother relinquished, and the move to build a suitable monument began.

It would take three years, as church and ladies’ groups began to raise funds for the obelisk that would overlook the valley. The campaign continued and finally enough funds were received that the final move in the short life of Sa-Sa-Na Loft’s life began.

The Sa-Sa-Nah Loft memorial is located in Evergreen Cemetery, with Loft portrayer as part of Walk Among the Dead.
The Sa-Sa-Nah Loft memorial is located in Evergreen Cemetery, with Loft portrayer as part of Walk Among the Dead.

In May 1855, her body was removed from the Avery vault and brought up to the top of the hill in Evergreen Cemetery. There she was placed into the ground, and a large obelisk monument was erected.

On the front of the monument are engraved the words “In memory of Sa-Sa-Na Loft, an Indian maiden of Mohawk Woods, Canada West, who lost her life in the railroad disaster at Deposit, N.Y. Feb. 18, 1852."

On the back of the monument is a single wild rose with its stem broken and missing one leaf. On the west side of the monument, it says, “By Birth a daughter of the forest, by adoption a child of God.”

More: This family of singers performed in Owego. Then disaster struck

Judge Charles Avery’s keen interest in Native American history and the charm of this young lady and her sudden demise forever merged their destinies.

Interest in this story has not waned and been lost in the mists of time. Rather, her memory continues to inspire the people of this valley and beyond. In recent years, some of her brothers’ descendants have visited the area, and stopped by the Tioga County Historical Society and its museum at 110 Front St. They viewed the portrait hanging in the museum and visited her resting place in the cemetery.

Her life, however short, made an incredible impression upon the people of this area, and her memory will continue to be remembered by those who wander by her graveside obelisk and wonder about her life.

Gerald Smith is executive director of the Tioga County Historical Society and a former Broome County historian. Email him at historysmiths@stny.rr.com.

This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Who is Sa-Sa-Na Loft? 21-year-old singer buried in Owego in 1855