How did the Reed family survived the Donner Party?

5. They Survived Without Eating People. Only two nuclear families in the entire party—the Reeds and the Breens—made it through the horrible winter without a single death.

Who survived the Donner Reed party?

Only two families survived the Donner Party without losing a single member: the Breens, who refused to share their supplies with others, and the Reeds.

What happened to the Reed family of the Donner Party?

Reed led a party of emigrants out from the camps, but a severe blizzard trapped them at the top of Donner Pass for two days, during which the party ran out of food. When the storm passed, most of the refugees were too weak to continue. Reed departed with his children but had to leave the others behind.

Did the reeds survive the Donner Party?

Reed. James Reed, who was the leader of the Donner Party in fact if not in name, arrived in California ahead of the Party, and mounted two rescue attempts. His wife and children remained with the Party, many of whom blamed Reed for their predicament. Yet, the Reeds were one of only two families to survive without loss.

How did the Donner family survive on their way to California?

George and Jacob Donner, both of their wives and four of their children all perished. Pioneer William Eddy, meanwhile, lost his wife and his two kids. Nearly a dozen families had made up Donner wagon train, but only two—the Reeds and the Breens—managed to arrive in California without suffering a single death.

The Donner Party: What Really Happened?

Who saved the Donner Party?

It was several weeks until a second rescue party arrived, led by none other than James Reed, who'd finally raised enough money and men to go rescue his family. This time, 17 people were evacuated — leaving only a few members of the Donner Party behind.

Who got eaten in the Donner party?

There's also reason to believe one of the hikers, a man named William Foster, shot two Miwok Native American guides named Louis and Salvador for food, which is the only instance anyone in the Donner Party was killed and eaten. The rest of the cannibalized were already dead.

How are the surviving members of the Donner Party eventually brought out of the mountain pass?

After a few days, Eddy continued on with the help of tribe members to a ranch in a small farming community at the edge of the Sacramento Valley. A hurriedly assembled rescue party found the other six survivors on January 17. Their journey from Truckee Lake had taken 33 days.

How accurate is the Donner Party Movie?

It is full of inaccuracies. While it is true some of the party resorted to eating human flesh to survive, no one was killed to do so. It left out the struggles of those left behind, waiting to be rescued and what they endured.

Who died first in the Donner party?

Breen's account of the winter of 1846–47 would provide the only contemporary written record of the Donner party's ordeal. On December 15 Baylis Williams, an employee of the Reed family, died of malnutrition at the lake camp; his was the first recorded death in the camps, although many others would soon follow.

What happens between James Reed and John Snyder?

James Reed stabbed John Snyder to death in a fit of rage that stemmed from troubles driving wagons up a steep hill. Reed claimed self-defense, but was banished from the party. Leaving his wife and four children behind, Reed rode ahead on horseback to California. Relations among members worsened after the stabbing.

How was the Donner Party rescue?

As the Donner Party fought to survive in the snowy Sierra Nevada mountains, four brave rescue missions ensured some traumatized members made it out alive. As the Donner Party fought to survive in the snowy Sierra Nevada mountains, four brave rescue missions ensured some traumatized members made it out alive.

How did George Donner hurt his hand?

Unfortunately, while cutting timber for a new axle, a chisel slipped and Donner cut his hand badly, causing the group to fall further behind. As the rest of the party continued to what is now known as Donner's Lake, snow began to fall.

What happened Tamsen Donner?

Tamsen Donner died at Donner Lake, following the death of her husband. The lone survivor at the camp, Lewis Keseberg, later confessed to cannibalizing her body. Newlin is proud to be associated with the valiant Tamsen Donner, but she doesn't want to be linked through her ancestors to cannibalism.

Is the Donner Party on Netflix?

Rent The Donner Party: American Experience (2000) on DVD and Blu-ray - DVD Netflix.

Who narrated the Donner party?

They spent four days resting their oxen and making repairs. James Reed (Actor, voice-over): July 31st, 1846.

What religion was the Donner party?

Back in Utah, the road the Donner Party blazed from Fort Bridger into the Salt Lake Valley in 1846 was a godsend to the Mormon pioneer companies of 1847. It became part of the Mormon Trail, and for twenty years was the main route to Salt Lake City.

What conditions did the Donner Party face both before and after getting 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 mistake did the Donner party make?

Most historians agree that the Donner Party's fatal mistake was taking the Hastings Cutoff. It put them almost a month behind schedule and severely depleted their resources before the critical last stage of their journey.

How deep 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.

Who was to blame for Donner Party misery?

Years later, Franklin Ward Graves, the 57-year-old patriarch of the family, would complain that James Reed was at fault for the delays and hardship they all faced in the Wasatch Mountains. The delays there, in his view, contributed to their becoming trapped by snow east of Donner Pass later in the year (1846).

Where did Donner Party eat each other?

Thanks to letters and journals kept by members of the Donner Party and their rescuers, it has long been accepted that cannibalism occurred at the party's main camp at Truckee Lake (later renamed Donner Lake) and among a smaller group that tried to escape the mountains to get help.

How did they find the Donner party?

The dig is taking place at a picnic area at Alder Creek Camp, where it's believed the George and Jacob Donner families were trapped. A Discovery Channel team found the site last summer by using ground-penetrating radar.

When did the Donner Party get saved?

On February 19, 1847, the first rescuers reach surviving members of the Donner Party, a group of California-bound emigrants stranded by snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.