The party was
trapped by exceptionally heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada
, and, when food ran out, some members of the group reportedly resorted to cannibalism of those already dead. It was the worst disaster of the overland migration to California. Donner Lake and Donner Pass
Why did the Donner Party fail?
The decision proved disastrous.
The emigrants were forced to blaze much of the trail themselves by cutting down trees
, and they nearly died of thirst during a five-day crossing of the salt desert. Rather than saving them time, Hasting’s “shortcut” ended up adding nearly a month to the Donner Party’s journey.
What challenges did the Donner Party face before being trapped?
Shortly before, the Donner family
had suffered a broken axle on one of their wagons and fallen behind
. Also trapped by the snow, they set up camp at Alder Creek six miles from the main group. Each camp erected make-shift cabins and horded their limited supply of food.
What slowed the Donner Party?
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.
What was the tragic story of the Donner Party?
Four men died and left with no other option
, the group resorted to cannibalism. By the time the group made it to Sutter’s Fort, there were seven people left. Eight people died and seven of those had been eaten to survive. As news traveled about the ordeal, people rallied to try and save the rest of the Donner Party.
Who was to blame for Donner Party misery?
Who was to blame for the Donner Party tragedy? Many authors have placed the blame for the tragedy on
Lansford Warren Hastings
, an Ohio lawyer who promoted the ill-advised shortcut now known as the Hastings Cutoff.
When did the Donner Party eat their first human?
On
Dec. 26, 1846
, some members of the ill-fated Donner Party are believed to have turned to cannibalism in order to survive during a Sierra Nevada snowstorm.
Why was James Reed banished from the Donner Party?
Within half an hour the young man was dead. Feelings against Reed ran so strong, some wanted to hang him. But others spoke out in his behalf.
A compromise was struck
, and he was banished.
Are there any descendants of the Donner Party?
Forty-two of the 89 members died.
Direct descendants of the party’s Donner
, Reed, Breen, Graves and Murphy families will attend the event. … Family historians will talk about the families and what happened to survivors. More than 100 family members will attend each reunion.
Who rescued the Donner Party?
But what happened to them after their rescue in 1847? Unknown/Wikimedia Commons
James and Margaret Reed
managed to survive the Donner Party disaster with their four children. In the spring of 1847, the last rescue party finally reached the desperate remains of the Donner Party.
How high was the snow for the Donner party?
The peak snow depth was somewhere between 15 to 20 feet deep at Donner Lake. Trees cut off at snow level by the emigrants ranged from
15 to 18 feet in height
when the snow was gone, indicative of the exceptional snowpack that winter.
What happened to Lewis keseberg?
Keseberg swore that he was innocent, and Houghton chose to believe Keseberg. Keseberg eventually would outlive all of his daughters save for one. He became penniless and homeless,
and died in the Sacramento County Hospital
, a hospital for the poor, in 1895. His grave was never found.
How many members of the Donner Party were eaten?
All the Donner adults—brothers George and Jacob and their wives
—perished, but several of their offspring survived. Two entire families—the Reeds and the Breens—also survived, and the Reeds were the only ones in the entire party who never ate human flesh.
How close are the Donner’s to California when their axle breaks?
Donner Party timeline provides an almost day-to-day basic description of events directly associated with the 1840s Donner Party pioneers, covering the journey from Illinois to California—
2,500 miles (4,023 kilometers)
, over the Great Plains, two mountain ranges, and the deserts of the Great Basin.
Are there any movies about the Donner party?
The Donner Party is a 2009 American period Western drama film written and directed by Terrence Martin (credited as T.J. It is based on the true story of the Donner Party, an 1840s westward traveling group of settlers headed for California. …
When the Donner Party stops to make repairs to the broken wagon axle what happens?
They fatefully decide to rest for five days, 50 miles from the mountain summit. The Donner wagon has a broken axle, which forces the Donners to stay behind the rest of the group. While trying to fix the
axle George Donner badly cuts his hand
, which sets the 22 in their party even further behind the others.
