19th-century group of American emigrants who became trapped
For other uses, see Donner Party (disambiguation).
The 28th page of Patrick Breen's diary, recording his observations in late February 1847, including "Mrs Murphy said here yesterday that thought she would Commence on Milt & eat him. I dont that she has done so yet, it is distressing." [sic]
The Donner Party, sometimes called the Donner–Reed Party, were a group of American pioneers who migrated to California in a wagon train from the Midwest. Delayed by a multitude of mishaps, they spent the winter of 1846–1847 snowbound in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Some of the migrants resorted to cannibalism to survive, mainly eating the bodies of those who had succumbed to starvation, sickness or extreme cold, but in one case two Native American guides were deliberately murdered for this purpose.[1]
The Donner Party originated from Springfield, Illinois, and departed Independence, Missouri, on the Oregon Trail in the spring of 1846, behind many other pioneer families who were attempting to make the same overland trip. The journey west usually took between four and six months, but the Donner Party was slowed after electing to follow a new route called the Hastings Cutoff, which bypassed established trails and instead crossed the Rocky Mountains' Wasatch Range and the Great Salt Lake Desert in present-day Utah. The desolate and rugged terrain, and the difficulties they later encountered while traveling along the Humboldt River in present-day Nevada, resulted in the loss of many cattle and wagons, and divisions soon formed within the group.
By early November, the migrants had reached the Sierra Nevada but became trapped by an early, heavy snowfall near Truckee Lake (now Donner Lake) high in the mountains. Their food supplies ran dangerously low, and in mid-December some of the group set out on foot to obtain help. Rescuers from California attempted to reach the migrants, but the first relief party did not arrive until the middle of February 1847, almost four months after the wagon train became trapped. Of the 87 members of the party, 48 survived. Historians have described the episode as one of the most fascinating tragedies in California history and in the entire record of American westward migration.[2]
The DonnerParty, sometimes called the Donner–Reed Party, were a group of American pioneers who migrated to California in a wagon train from the Midwest...
form a new company and elect George Donner captain, thus creating the DonnerParty. July 20, 1846: The DonnerParty separates from the other wagon trains...
Donner Pass is a 7,056-foot-high (2,151 m) mountain pass in the northern Sierra Nevada, above Donner Lake and Donner Memorial State Park about 9 miles...
Dozier Donner (November 1, 1801 – March 1847) was an American pioneer, most notable for her key role as a member of the infamous DonnerParty. Donner was...
related to Donner Lake at Wikimedia Commons Trailspotting: Donner Memorial State Park Trail Hike description & photos California State Parks:Donner Lake Views...
Donner Memorial State Park is a state park of California, US, preserving the site of the Donner Camp, where members of the ill-fated DonnerParty were...
Lewis Keseberg, was a member of the DonnerParty of 1846–1847. He was the last survivor to be rescued from the Donner campsite. His reputation and his involvement...
Look up donner in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Donner may refer to: Donner (crater), a lunar crater Donner, California, an unincorporated community...
Hastings in The Emigrant's Guide to Oregon and California. The ill-fated DonnerParty infamously took the route in 1846. A sentence in Hastings' guidebook...
Camp," about the DonnerParty's most infamous member, Lewis Keseberg, "presented in the form of 50's surfer music." The DonnerParty album also pays homage...
Brown's second book, The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a DonnerParty Bride (2009), traces the footsteps of Sarah Graves, a young bride who...
Experience, including Coney Island (1991). Burns also wrote and directed The DonnerParty (1992). In 1995, Burns wrote, directed, and co-produced The Way West...
he played the lead role of Billy, and The DonnerParty which is based on the true story of the DonnerParty. In 2010, he starred in the romantic drama...
Donner (LSD-20) was a Casa Grande-class dock landing ship of the United States Navy, named for the Sierra Nevada Donner Pass, where the DonnerParty became...
continued the practice of law. In 1859, he married Mary Martha Donner, a survivor of the DonnerParty; she died a year later, most likely from complications related...
words 'Alcove Springs', carved into the hard limestone cliff by the DonnerParty, can still be seen, although some of the carving has weathered away....
trails, and to any destination the party had in mind if the leaders sought his advice. In 1846, the DonnerParty came to Fort Bridger and were assured...
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