Donner Party

The Donner Party The Donner Party was a catastrophic event that happened in the late 1840's. It was a famous misfortune that had occurred in the spring of 1846. As a matter of fact, it was led by two wealthy brothers, Jacob and George Donner. As well as, nearly 90 emigrants left Springfield, Illinois and headed west. They attempted to take a shorter route to California, but were unsuccessful and as a result, they got trapped by heavy snowfall in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

The Donner Party Forty-six survivors out of an original 87, reached California starving, tired, and traumatized for life from the experience they had just been through. A year of suffering was spent on a time that was thought to have been only a few months of easy traveling on a shortcut routed by a man named Lance Hatings. The journey began on May 12th from Springfield Illinois. A train of nine wagons, filled with members of the Donner and Reed families, set out in hopes of

Desperation can push people to do things they normally wouldn’t such as lying, stealing, or eating your family. The Donner Party in particular knows the woes of desperation all too well. The Donner Party consisted of 89 Illinoisans who started their journey to California in April of 1846. The expedition was led by two wealthy brothers named George and Jacob Donner. Initially, the group followed reliable trail to follow a supposedly shorter route given to them by the young and unethical lawyer named

that was on the way to the western U.S., for those reasons in 1846, had a tragic loss of 34 settlers due to many tragic events. This group was led by George Donner, which was elected the leader of this group on 19 July 1846, this group inherited his name, called the Donner Party. The Donner Party consisted of the families of George Donner, his brother Jacob

If More Things Were Questioned? We all know the story of the Donner Party; They wanted to move west for a better life and a better future, but things went wrong. We all cringe when we think of how they had to or were assumed to have committed cannibalism to survive. But have we ever wondered what would have happened if something had gone another way or if someone had said or done something different? Did the travelers in the Donner Party ever wonder that? I believe some did, but did not want to admit

way to justify questionable actions in times of despair for many years. Following the advice, the Donner Party did whatever they could to survive. Stuck in a snowstorm, the group is believed to have reverted back to animalistic ways, and devoured each other to survive. While no one knows the truth of that fateful winter, many agree that cannibalism was their main form of survival. Though the Donner Party’s travels were not well documented and many details remain controversial, it is evident that

In May of 1846, settlers George Donner and James Reed led an assembly of nearly 90 people on a journey from Springfield, Illinois to the newly discovered West. The West was full of new hope- a chance of starting anew and the possibility of buying untouched land were promising to those who yearned for more. The leaders, George Donner and James Reed, followed a book titled, The Emigrants’ Guide to Oregon and California written by Lansford Hastings, which ensured a shortcut to their promising, new destination

expansion was that of the Donner Party. This group of pioneers, due to false information and bad judgment, became stranded on the Sierra Nevada mountain during the winter of 1846 and were forced to turn to cannibalism to survive. In the spring of 1846 a group of 87 people would leave their homes and head west in the hope and promise of free land. This group of 87 individuals would later be known as the infamous “Donner Party” (McGill). The Donner Party consisted of the Donner family and the Reed family

Donner Party Tragedy On a journey to a better life in California, the infamous Donner party, met sorrow at every turn. Before their journey began, they encountered a shortcut discovered by Hastings. Like any other normal person, they decided to take the easier route that unfortunately led to tragedy. There were many key elements leading to the misfortune of this group. From the beginning of their journey, the Donner party made mistakes. First of all, at the time of the party’s departure there

Ordeal by Hunger: The Story of The Donner Party Ordeal by Hunger is a true story that shows the struggles that the Donner Party had to go through trying to reach California. They were just one of many wagon trains that were migrating to California. Some of the migrants were trying to find a better life, and get rich. Others were already rich, but wanted a nice place to stay at. Many people had heard how great California was. They migrated by wagons pulled by oxen, and traveled about 30 miles per