Osa Johnson

A Kansas Portrait

In April 1910, Osa Helen Leighty, a Chanute, Kansas, teenager, was hired to sing at the Snark Theater. The theater's owner, Martin Johnson, who had served as cook and engineer on Jack London's ill-fated around-the-world cruise, quickly fell in love with the beautiful young singer. Within a week, Osa and Martin were married. Their expressed plans were to move to Independence, Kansas, and operate the Snark theaters, but Martin could not shake off his overwhelming desire to travel and photograph people, wildlife and their natural habitats. At first Osa had no interest in such a life, but Martin finally convinced her to give it a try.

They made their first trip to Africa in 1921, and were so enchanted with the abundance of wildlife that they made repeated trips. In 1929, they traveled to Africa, sailing down the Nile into northern Uganda. During this trip, they made the first motion picture of pygmies. As a result of continuing on the into the Serengeti Plains, they made another film entitled "Simba." In 1930, the Johnsons went into the Belgian Congo where they made the first historical survey of the mountain gorilla. From this trip came the film, "Congorillia," which was the first sound picture made in Africa. After obtaining pilot licenses in 1932, the Johnsons flew the entire length of the African continent in their two amphibian planes taking the first aerial photographs of Africa's wildlife.

Osa's enthusiasm for their chosen career was evident in her responsibilities. It was she who directed camp life, laying in supplies, providing for their comfort and overseeing the preparations of meals. She loved to hunt and fish and secured plentiful supplies of fresh meat through her prowess with the rod and gun. Sometimes when Martin was photographing in potentially dangerous situations she stood by the camera, gun in hand, ready to protect her husband. When needed, Osa could effectively operate the camera and sometimes she took off on photographic expeditions of her own. Like Martin, she learned to fly, and was the first to fly a plane over the China Sea.

Besides their many adventures together, Martin and Osa Johnson collaborated in writing Cannibal Land, Camera Trails in Africa, Lion, Congorilla, and Over African Jungles. Independently Osa wrote a number of children's books and magazine articles, but she is best known for I Married Adventure, which was listed in The Best Books of the Decade, 1936-1945.

Perhaps the most important key to the Johnson's success was the remarkable relationship which the couple enjoyed. Martin never failed to acknowledge Osa's contribution to their adventurous work. In the book Cannibal Land he wrote, "I thought, as I have thought many, many times in the nine years we have gone about together, how lucky I was. Osa had all the qualities that go to make an ideal traveling companion for an explorer-pluck, endurance, cheerfulness under discomfort." Lowell Thomas summed up their relationship when he wrote, "It was a rare team they made, this partnership between two handsome people from Kansas. Indeed in the annals of travel and exploration, they were unique."