Who found the Donner party?

In the spring of 1846, a group of nearly 90 emigrants left Springfield, Illinois, and headed west. Led by brothers Jacob and George Donner, the group attempted to take a new and supposedly shorter route to California.

Who Rescued 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.

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.

Who helped the Donner party?

Perhaps the most famous of the Donner Party's saviors was John Stark, a burly California settler who took part in the third relief party. In early March 1847, he and two other rescuers stumbled upon 11 emigrants, mostly kids, who been left in the mountains by an earlier relief group.

Did Abraham Lincoln know the Donner party?

Abraham Lincoln was almost a member of the Donner Party. As a young lawyer in Springfield, Illinois, Lincoln often helped his friend James F. Reed in business matters.

The Donner Party: What Really Happened?

Who was to blame for Donner Party?

The party began to blame James Reed for the decision to go this way, even though they all voted and made their own choice to follow. Fear was also prevalent, as food and other supplies were running out and they had traveled only thirty-six miles in twenty-one days.

Did the Donner Party eat humans?

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.

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.

Who survived the Donner 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.

Who was the leader of the party that got stuck in the mountains?

Donner party, also called Donner-Reed party, group of American pioneers—named for the expedition's captain, George Donner—who became stranded en route to California in late 1846.

Are there any descendants of the Donner party alive today?

Nearly half never left alive. And up to 200 descendants are expected to gather in August in Truckee and Reno, Nev., for what's being billed as the year's premier event California Trail Days 96 and the Donner Party Sesquicentennial.

How many died in the Donner party?

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

Where is the Donner Party buried?

Donner Memorial State Park is a state park of California, US, preserving the site of the Donner Camp, where members of the ill-fated Donner Party were trapped by weather during the winter of 1846–1847.

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).

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 to the Donner daughters?

Daughter, Ada, 3, was taken out by the First Relief, but died on about February 25, 1847, near present Kingvale. Son, Lewis, Jr., new born on the Trail, died at the Lake cabins on January 4, 1847.

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.

What happened to the Donner Pass survivors?

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.

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.

Was the Donner Party Mormon?

The Donner Party

(The “This Is the Place Monument” in Salt Lake City praises the Donners for cutting the trail into the valley.) In the Donner Party was Mormon Lavina Murphy and her family of four sons, three daughters, two sons-in-law, and three infants.

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.

How did the Donner Party get rescued?

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.

Was the Donner Party found?

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.

What happened to Hastings from the Donner party?

He died at St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands in 1870, possibly of yellow fever, while conducting a shipload of settlers to his colony at Santarém.