Eli S. Ricker

Eli Seavey Ricker (April 29, 1843 - May 17, 1926) was a corporal serving the Union Army during the American Civil War, newspaper editor, rancher, judge, and activist known for his support of Native Americans and other social causes. He was one of the first historians to recognize the validity of the Native American views.

Biography Ricker was born in Maine in 1843. He later moved to Knoxville, Illinois, and was 17 years old when the American Civil War began. Ricker had been working as a journalist for a number of years already, reporting for the Knox County Observer and Galesburg Free Press. He enlisted in 1862, and served as a corporal in the 102nd Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the war, which took part in Sherman's March to the Sea. He also wrote for newspapers back home giving an account of the war. He never got around to writing his book but the information he gathered, many first hand accounts of historical events, is considered an invaluable historical resource for documenting the history of the American West. These tablets are now in the archives of the Nebraska State Historical Society.

His wife, Mary, burned to death in the couples' home in February 1925.