the donner party

Lansford W. Hastings

Hastings Cutoff The Emigrants’ Guide to Oregon and California, by Landsford W. Hastings New route enticed travelers by advertising that it would save the pioneers 350-400 miles on easy terrain. Hastings Route had never been tested

Group ended up with 81 members, The party Group ended up with 81 members, More than half were younger than 18, six were infants Wagon was an extravagant two-story affair with a built-in iron stove, spring-cushioned seats and bunks for sleeping – took eight oxen to pull the luxurious wagon Hastings was leaving that same day to explore cutoff

Good advice Old friend advised Reed not to take the Hastings Route, road was barely passable on foot and would be impossible with wagons; also warning him of the great desert and the Sierra Nevadas. Man carrying a letter from Hastings at - stated that Hastings would meet the emigrants at Fort Bridger and lead them on his cutoff

Promises from hastings Said he would mark trail Found note from Hastings attached to a stick, trail was harder than imagined, should make camp until he could return to show them another way

Slow progress Hastings never came, group sent a guide up, said to take a different route Clearing trees and other obstructions, wagon train was lucky to make even two miles per day, taking them six days just to travel eight miles Oxen ran away, group almost died of dehydration in Great Salt Lake Desert

Wagons became entangled Man became frustrated and whipped his oxen Tensions rise Wagons became entangled Man became frustrated and whipped his oxen James Reed ordered man to stop mistreatment of the animal, stabbed him when he wouldn’t Party wasted no time administering justice, banished Reed

Constructed small cabins and make-shift tents Donner lake After trying to get through 20ft of snow, became stranded at what is now known as Donner Lake Constructed small cabins and make-shift tents Sent bachelor men to go get food, returned

Reed’s rescue attempt James Reed had attempted to get a search party to rescue his family, couldn’t find able-bodied men Thought they had plenty of food, oxen to last them for months Pioneers at Donner Lake killed the last of their oxen for food on November 29th.

Next day, five more feet of snow fell More snow, less food Next day, five more feet of snow fell Party cooked their dogs, gnawed on leftover bones and even boiled the animal hide roofs of their cabins into a foul paste, ate boiled leather and tree bark

Food ran out on the sixth day The forlorn hope Group departed from Donner Lake on snow shoes, hoped to make it through mountains Food ran out on the sixth day Next three days, no one ate while they traveled through grueling high winds and freezing weather

The forlorn hope Resorted to cannibalism, 7/8 had been cannibalized Native American guides refused to engage in cannibalism, left group Found later, exhausted and lying in the snow, a man shot both of them in the head Native Americans were then butchered and eaten by the hikers Considered drawing straws or having men duel for a sacrifice

Relief parties Of sixty people at lake, 12 had died, many had gone crazy or were barely clinging to life Evidence of cannibalism Reed led second relief group out, got caught in another blizzard Reed went ahead to find food, others stayed behind in “Starved Camp” Children unknowingly fed human flesh, sometimes of parents

The last to be rescued was Louis Keseberg, supposedly half-mad and surrounded by the cannibalized bodies of his former companions

Most who survived lost toes to frostbite The aftermath Took two months and four relief parties to rescue surviving Donner Party 41 died, 46 survived Most who survived lost toes to frostbite Half of survivors resorted to cannibalism

Survivors tried to forget what happened The aftermath Newspapers printed letters and diaries, and accused the travelers of bad conduct, cannibalism, and murder Survivors tried to forget what happened Had to change their names because they were being harassed

http://www.history.com/topics/donner- party/videos/the-donner-party

Dangers of living in the west Natural dangers - droughts, floods, fires, blizzards, locust plagues, Raids by outlaws and Native Americans Disease and injuries

Trees were scarce, most settlers built homes into the land itself into sides of ravines or small hills Little light, very small Haven for snakes, insects, and other pests Fireproof, but leaked continuously when it rained