Welcome to the Donner Party (By Veronica Rodriguez)

Donner Party Introduction Donner Party,is an American group of migrants to California in 1846-47. Two families, the Donners and the Reeds,their were 87 members of the party, which left Sangamon County, Illinois, in 1846, under the leadership of George Donner. After considerable difficulty crossing the Great salt lake in Utah, they were trapped by heavy snows in the Sierra Nevada During November.They were forced to camp during the winter at a small lake.Now it is named The Donner Lake. They Suffered enormous hardships,And members of the group resorted to cannibalism ( eat each other)in order to survive.Forty-seven of them eventually were brought to California by rescue parties over what is known as the Donner Pass.

Here’s a picture about the Donner Party! Here is a picture showing how the wagons looked (just so I can have an idea). Here it was when they made a wrong choice. They had taken the wrong path. At the bottom of this picture it has an advise for everyone to read. “to never take no cut-off and to hurry as fast as you can”.

Here is a map about the Donner Party! Here is a map of all the traveling the Donner's and the Reeds did. It’s a quick map showing their traveling on all the places they held.

Donner Summit Another map!

The Donner’s route that they took? The route that the Donor Party took first was the Sutter’s Front, the Great Salt Lake Desert, Little Sandy River, Front Laramie, and then the Independence. (Route of the Snowshoe Party)

Map of Cabin Sites, In 1879 2.Schallenberger's Cabin - Breens (site of present Donner Monument) 3.Keseberg's Addition to Schallenberger Cabin 4.Big Rock (in Donner Memorial Park) 5.Cabin built against Big Rock - Murphys and Eddys 1.Truckee's (now Donner) Lake 6.Graves' Cabin, with Addition for Reeds, Stanton, Luis and Salvadore (on Donner Creek north of present Interstate 80 Agricultural Inspection Station). 7.Roads (present Hwy 89 from Alder Creek to Truckee, old Hwy 40 from Truckee to summit via north shore of Lake, and trail up Coldstream Canyon south of Lake) 8.Branch of Truckee's River (now Donner Creek) 9.Donner Tent. 10.Donner Tent. It is not known exactly where these tents were, but Mrs. Wolfinger statyed with the George Donners, and the teamsters apparently built another tent nearby. 11.(now Alder) Creek 12.(now Prosser) Creek

Map of Donner Camp Area and Trails Today Based on Graydon's Trail of the First Wagons Over the Sierra Nevada Here is a map were it tells me the area of there camps were they stayed and their trails.

James Reed's Map This is James Reed map that he used.

The California Map! This map is the California Trail in 1841 and in 1846.It tells you all kinds of wagons in California, Oregon ,ext.

What would it have been like to be a member of the Donner party. For me being a member of the Donner party it would have been very hardship and difficult for me to handle it. Just knowing everything they went threw and by knowing how bad they suffered I don’t think I would of made it alive.May be I would you never know! I also know how they kept each other alive and am not the kind of person that would eat a human been. I rather die then eat someone from anther family. But in their case they didn’t had no chance.

Monument at Donner Memorial State Park, erected on the Breen Cabin site, This picture was taken in 1996 This statue was made this Hugh because this was how tall the snow was.

Wagon Artifacts at Donner-Reed Museum, Grantsville, UT, Taken In 1999

What were the major decisions that they were faced with at various points along the trail? One of the Donner’s major decision was to decide what trail to take.This was when they were at the Little Sandy River. They options they had were to take the “right” towards the familiar route way or “left”towards front Bridger but, the Donner and the Reeds, turn “left”towards front Bridger and the entrance to Hastings Cutoff. In the route to Front Laramie James Reeds is urged to go the old route, but with Clyman’s advice he makes the fateful decision to take the Hastings Cutoff.Another of their major decision was to eat each other.

This picture is Sarah Keys John Denton from Springfield, found a large grey stone on which he carved with deep letters the name "Sarah Keyes; who was born in Virginia“giving age and date of birth.

Drawing of Donner Family Tent This is how their tents looked liked

Compare the route with another trail? The cut off took longer Had less resources Went through the Sierra Nevada Mountains Pass through the desert and the Great Salt Lake Ended up connecting with the old trail

Summit Valley from the North, Taken in 1997 Reed describes Summit Valley elevation 6,800'

Construction of Cabins at Donner Lake Here is a quick drawing about their camps .

He is a diary Patrick Breen's A page from Patrick Breen's Diary (February 6 - 8)

Read the diaries and other links in the section where do you think things went wrong? While reading Patrick Breen's Diary there were things that when wrong. From What I can recall They were jealous of the Reeds and didn’t wanted to take his advice. That was why they made the wrong decision by taking the wrong way and not even noticing it.I also believed that it started wrong when they were ignoring the weather and didn’t apply plenty of supplies for everyone to have , they should of know that they weren’t going to have enough for everyone in their crowed.

Their Hiking The rangers lead regular Donner Party History hikes at least twice and some-times three times a week which start at 10:00 am in front of the museum.

Patty Reed, in later years

The park is west of Truckee on I-80. (916) 582-7892 Patty Reed, member of the Donner Party, reunited with her father

Arrival of the First Relief The people were dying every day. They had bean living with dead bodies every day.

Donner Pass above Donner Lake, photographed 1997 In the Right side of this picture there is the north face of Donner Peak.

Snow Flat on West Side of Donner Pass, photographed 1997 The low spot on the ridge is the Pass

Big Rock (Murphy's Cabin site), Donner Memorial State Park The plaque lists the survivors and casualties

Petty Reeds Doll Patty's doll is on display at the Sutter’s Front State Historical Park Museum in Sacramento, California In 1996 it was loan to the Smithsonian for its 150th Anniversary Exhibition "1846 Portrait of a Nation

Platte River Crossing of the Platte River (This is the Upper Crossing, above where the Donners crossed)

Courthouse Rock, as drawn by James F. Wilkins in 1849.

Plaque on the Mormom Pioneer Monument August 1846

Fine supported links and citations of where you got your info. http://members.aol.com/danmrosen/donner/sep46.htm http://www.teleport.com/~mhaller/ http://members.aol.com/danmrosen/donner/westward.htm http://www.teleport.com/~mhaller/Primary/BreenDiary.html http://members.aol.com/danmrosen/donner/sources.htm http://members.aol.com/DanMRosen/donner/index.htm

The Links That helped me! http://member.aol.com/DanMRosen/donner/index.htm http://member.aol.com/DanMRosen/donner/dec46.htm http://member.aol.com/DanMRosen/donner/maps.htm http://encarta.msn.com/find/Concise.asp?ti=01C8D000 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/donner/index.html http://www.findarticles.com/m1216/n4_v197/18823729/p1/article.jhtml