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.

When was the first person eaten in the Donner Party?

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.

Who died in the Donner Party?

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.

Who died and who survived Donner Party?

How many members of the Donner Party died?

Thirty-six people died. Forty-five survived. Only two people over 40 survived. Almost all of those under 5 died.

All the Mistakes That Doomed the Donner Party

Did the 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.

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.

Who was the last survivor of the Donner party?

The last survivor, Lewis Keseberg, who had supported himself during the last weeks by cannibalism, did not leave camp until April 21. Five of the emigrants died before reaching the mountain camps, 34 at the camps or on the mountains while attempting to cross, and one just after reaching the settlements.

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).

How did the Reed family survived the Donner Party?

After James Reed stabbed and killed a fellow Donner Party member, the group banished him and he managed to make it through Donner Pass before the snows trapped his family and the rest of the pioneers. At Sutter's Fort in California, Reed raised money for a rescue expedition, which he helped lead.

Who was 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.

Who is Donner Pass named after?

Donner Pass, in the Sierra Nevada of northern California, is named for the Donner party. The pass now represents the most important transmontane route (rail and highway) connecting San Francisco with Reno.

What happened to the surviving members of the Donner party?

The two Donner families suffered greatly; all four of the parents perished. The surviving children reached Sutter's Fort as orphans, but they all found good homes. Like the Breens, all of the Reed family members escaped the disaster alive.

Who rescued the Donner party?

Three members of the third rescue team, Charles Stone, Howard Oakley, and John Stark, took on the task to take the starving emigrants from Starved Camp down into the Sacramento Valley and safety. Stone and Oakley proposed that they take only the injured Mary Donner and the three Graves children.

Did the Indians try to help the Donner party?

Native Americans tried to help the starving Donner Party, research shows. They faced gunshots. The familiar story of the Donner Party is one of misfortune, madness, and profound isolation.

What was another mistake the Donner Party made?

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 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.

Who was responsible for the Donner Party tragedy?

If I could blame one man for the deaths of 41 people in the Donner Party it would be Lansford Hastings, the creator, founder, director of the Hastings Cutoff disaster, circa 1846.

Did William Eddy survive?

The only men who survived were Eddy and William Foster (he of the borrowed rifle) and the five women. Yes, the Forlorn Hopers had to resort to cannibalism, but Eddy tried to hold out as long as possible (of course he retold this to Bryant).

Did Patty Reed survive the Donner party?

A photograph of Patty Reed, a survivor of the Donner Party, with her beloved toy doll. Reed saved the doll when the loss of draft animals forced the family to abandon its possessions. The rescue party left Sutter's Fort on Jan. 31, 1847, and found the survivors at Donner Lake on Feb.

Did the Reed family eat anyone?

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 killed John Snyder?

In one tragic moment along the Humboldt River near present-day Golconda, Nevada, James Reed killed John Snyder, a well-liked member of the party.

Who was the villain of the Donner party?

Few today claim relation to Lewis Keseberg, the villain of the Donner Party. Keseberg, a German immigrant, became the saga's most infamous alleged murderer after the final rescue party arrived at Donner Camp in April 1847 and found only Keseberg living. Tamsen Donner, wife of the Donner Party leader, was dead.

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.