The Donner Party was a group of California-bound American settlers caught up in the "westering fever" of the 1840s. After becoming snowbound in the Sierra Nevada in the winterof1846–1847, some of the emigrants resorted to cannibalism. Although this aspect of the tragedy has become synonymous with the Donner Party in the popular imagination, the historical record demonstrates that episodes of cannibalism occurred only as a last resort and (with one exception) for a limited time.[1]
The nucleus of the party consisted of the families of George Donner, his brother Jacob, and James F. Reed of Springfield, Illinois, plus their hired hands, about 33 people in all. They set out for California in mid-April 1846, arrived at Independence, Missouri, on May 10, 1846, and left two days later.
On May 19 the Donners and Reeds joined a large wagon train captained by William H. Russell. Most of those who became members of the Donner Party were also in this group. For the next two months the travelers followed the California Trail until they reached the Little Sandy River, in what is now Wyoming, where they camped alongside several other overland parties. There, those emigrants who had decided to take a new route ("Hastings Cutoff", named after its promoter, Lansford Hastings), formed a new wagon train. They elected George Donner their captain, creating the Donner Party, on July 19. [2]
The Donner Party continued westward to Fort Bridger, where Hastings Cutoff began, and set out on the new route on August 31. They endured great hardships while crossing the Wasatch Mountains and the Great Salt Lake Desert and finally rejoined the California Trail, near modern Elko, Nevada, on September 26. The "shortcut" had taken them three weeks longer than the customary route. They met further setbacks and delays while traveling along Nevada's Humboldt River.[2]
When they reached the Sierra Nevada at the end of October, a snowstorm blocked the pass. Demoralized and low on supplies, about two thirds of the emigrants camped at a lake (now called Donner Lake), while the Donner families and a few others camped about six miles (ten kilometers) away, at Alder Creek.[2]
The emigrants slaughtered their oxen, but there was not enough meat to feed so many for long. In mid-December, fifteen of the trapped emigrants, later known as the Forlorn Hope, set out on snowshoes for Sutter's Fort, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) away, to seek help. When one man gave out and had to be left behind, the others continued, but soon became lost and ran out of food. Caught without shelter in a raging blizzard, four of the party died. The survivors resorted to cannibalism, then continued on their journey; three more died and were also cannibalized. Close to death, the seven surviving snowshoers finally reached safety on the western side of the mountains on January 18, 1847.[2]
Californians rallied to save the Donner Party and equipped a total of four rescue parties, or "reliefs." When the First Relief arrived, 14 emigrants had died at the camps and the rest were extremely weak. Most had been surviving on boiled ox hide, but there had been no cannibalism. The First Relief set out with 21 refugees on February 22.
When the Second Relief arrived a week later, they found that some of the 31 emigrants left behind at the camps had begun to eat the dead. The Second Relief took 17 emigrants with them, the Third Relief four. By the time the Fourth Relief had reached the camp, only one man was alive. The last member of the Donner Party arrived at Sutter's Fort on April 29.[2]
Of the original 87 pioneers, 39 died and 48 survived.[3]
The Donner debacle, though sensational, was a minor incident in the opening of the American West. Nevertheless, it was not without effect:
The road created by the Donner Party into the Salt Lake Valley via Emigration Canyon was used the following year by the vanguard company of Mormon pioneers. The section from Fort Bridger to the valley became part of the Mormon Trail and remained the main route to the valley into the 1860s.
The memory of the Donner disaster prompted Californians to fund relief teams during the gold rush years. Men traveled eastward along the trails to take food and water to overland emigrants, saving many lives. [4]
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Donner Party in popular culture
Richard Rhodes' The Ungodly: A Novel of the Donner Party is a fictional account of the Donner Party's ordeal.
The song "Donner Party (All Night)" on Alkaline Trio's Good Mourning album is told from the viewpoint of one of the party's members.
In the movie Wagons East! wagon master John Candy is haunted by a dark secret -- he had been the Donner Party's guide.
Fake goth band Rasputina's Thanks for the Ether album has a track called "Donner Party," a monologue comparing the Donner Party to the "colonial Pilgrims."
In the movie SLC Punk!, Stevo tells the story of the Donner Party to his girlfriend during an acid trip.
In "A Pinky and The Brain Christmas", Brain, invited to a party by the reindeer Donner, says, "I don't think I'd like to be part of a Donner Party."
In an episode of The Simpsons, a party store in the mall is called "Donner's Party Supplies."
Early on in the film The Shining, Jack Torrance's wife Wendy asks if the Donner Party was snowbound near here. Jack replies that he thought it was a little to the west.
Gary Larson's Far Side cartoon of 2/9/90 depicts a Donner Party memorial consisting of a lower leg between two pieces of bread.
Larson's Far Side cartoon of December 25, 1992, depicts 'The ever-popular Donner Party snow dome' -- a covered wagon among mountains under a dome.
Xkcd's comic no 30 is a version of the "Donner, party of ..." joke.
In the ALF episode Oh Tanner-baum, ALF and Willie become hopelessly lost in a Northern California forest while searching for a new Christmas tree. At one point ALF remarks "I think we just passed the Donner Party".
The New York psychobilly band The Memphis Morticians have a song titled "Donner Party Boogie"
The thriller/black comedy movie Ravenous incorporates elements of the Donner Party story.
In an episode of That 70's Show, Hyde's mother runs away. Eric says "His mom's gone, and I know he doesn't want any help, but the Donner Party didn't get any help, and they ate each other, so....."
"The Donner Party", a band from Wichita Falls, Texas, describes its style as "grunge/experimental/Southern rock".
In an episode of "The Golden Girls", Dorothy is offered some of Rose's bad cooking, to which Dorothy replies, "If this had been offered to the Donner Party they still would've eaten themselves".
New Light on the Donner Party, by Donner Party historian Kristin Johnson, features biographical information, a chronology, primary documents, and more.
The Donner Party, a website by Dan Rosen, features a comprehensive chronology of the disaster and much additional material.
The trail diary kept by Hiram O. Miller and James F. Reed between April and October 1846 is available online, as are the diaries kept by members of the First Relief (rescue party), Second Relief, and Fourth Relief.
Donner Party Bulletin No. 15 (January 2006) is a first-person report on the presentation at the Society for Historical Archaeology Conference and rebuts media distortions about cannibalism at Alder Creek.
