08/09/2026
COMING SOON: Shadows Talk: The True Story of Kidnapping, Survival and Escape in Montana
Written by L.L. Manshadow Waylett, Shadows Talk is an inspiring human interest story of love, cultural survival, and extraordinary courage.
At eight years old, James "Jim" Lozeau walked down to the river to catch trout for his family's supper. He didn't return home for more than two years.
Secretly captured under bounty by a local sheriff, Jim—a young Salish boy of the Flathead Nation—was loaded onto cattle cars and sent across the state to the Fort Shaw Indian School near Great Falls. Never informed of their children's whereabouts, families were left to believe their sons and daughters had vanished forever, leaving behind a painful legacy of "ghost children".
Passed down directly from grandfather to grandson during days spent together in the Montana wilds, Shadows Talk brings to light a deeply personal family secret kept for decades.
Key Story Highlights:
A Hidden History Revealed: An intimate look into the harsh realities, hostility, and endurance of Salish children trapped within early 1900s boarding schools.
A Masterful Plan: How a 15-year-old Salish boy secretly studied a map in the headmaster's office to plot a night break for the entire school.
The 300-Mile Mountain Trek: The grueling, week-long journey through cold peak terrain and hidden paths as the children evaded capture to reach home at St. Ignatius.
Reclaiming Cultural Heritage: A tribute to the man who preserved his tribe's traditions, faith, and spirit against all odds.
