TODAY ONLY
February 19
Relief Party Finds Donner Party
On this day in 1847, in the eastern foothills of California's Sierra Nevada Mountains, a relief party reached the Donner Party. They found only half of the original 89 pioneers still alive.
What Was the Donner Party? One of the most famous emigrant parties to cross the Sierra Nevada along the Truckee Route. The Donner Party was composed of farmers, with a high proportion of women, elderly people, and children. Together they set out on a 2,000 mile journey, from Illinois to California.
The Donner Brothers. The Donner Brothers ~ Jacob and George ~ organized the party, along with James Reed. They were all from Illinois.
Springtime in the Rockies. The party set out in April of 1846, with plenty of time to reach the California settlements before winter set in. In a reasonable amount of time, they reached South Pass, a landmark on the trail west. That's where they made their first error.
Shortcut. A trail guide named Lansford Hastings claimed to have found a shortcut to California. Hastings urged the party to follow his route, through the Wahsatch Mountains and the Great Salt Desert of Utah. He claimed this path would cut hundreds of miles from their journey. While doable by a small group. The Donner Party, with hundreds of oxen and large heavy wagons, found it a grueling trip. They lost much of their precious lead time and suffered in the severe desert climate. The physical condition of the people and animals began to deteriorate, as did their emotional stability. There was a stabbing and James Reed was banished from the party.
By the Time I Get to the Sierra Nevada... Because of the disastrous short-cut, they arrived at the Sierras late. Their provisions were gone. A winter storm at the end of October put an end to their hope of crossing the Sierras to the California settlements.
Stuck. The party camped at the foot of the summit at Donner Lake, which was then called Truckee Lake. Some stayed in an abandoned cabin. Others stayed in makeshift cabins or tents further east. The majority spent the frozen winter starving, trapped on the wrong side of the mountains, over six thousand feet above sea level. The winter of 1846-47 was brutal, even by Sierra standards.
The Donners. The Donner brothers and their family were in terrible shape. Their wagon had problems, and George Donner injured himself trying to fix it. The Donners tried to last the winter in tents at Alder Creek.
No Sierra Know-How. None of them knew how to hunt or fish in the Sierra winter. They had lost all their stock and ran out of food.
Footprints in the Snow. Fifteen members of the party tried to cross the Sierra on foot, on makeshift snowshoes, looking for help. Seven of them made it to Sutter's Fort.
Return of Reed. Reed, who had been banished in the desert, had made it to Sutter's Fort on his own. There, he tried to recruit a rescue party. Ultimately four relief parties were sent.
On This Day in 1847, the first relief party reached the cabins buried in the snow at Donner Lake. Several half-starved people emerged as the rescuers approached. One woman asked, "Are you men from California, or do you come from Heaven?" The survivors had been reduced to eating boiled rawhide, leather, bones, dogs, and mice. There had already been several deaths from starvation.
Across the Mountains. The rescue party gathered together 21 survivors, including some children. Together they started back across the mountains to the west. Their food gone, they were fortunate to meet up with a second party, which was led by the once-banished James Reed. After a brief reunion with his wife, Reed continued on to the cabins, where, on March 1, he was reunited with his children.
The Donner Tents. At the Donner tents, Reed found George Donner, dying from a badly infected cut on his hand. Reed also found evidence of cannibalism at both the cabins and the Donner camp. He left five survivors at the cabins and six at Donner Camp. Then Reed started back with the rest. Tamsen Donner insisted on remaining with her husband George, who was too ill to make the journey.
More Starvation. Reed's party was quickly reduced to starvation, and was forced to wait out another three-day blizzard at a spot later known as Starved Camp. There were more deaths, more cannibalism.
After the Blizzard. When the blizzard ended, Reed and the strongest members of the group continued on. They met up with a relief party of four men at Emigrant Gap. These men, who included two members of the December snowshoe group, continued on to Donner Lake to bring out the last survivors. Of those who were still able to move about, two remained behind: Lewis Keseberg who was suffering from a bad foot, and Tamsen Donner who still refused to leave her husband.
Last Rescue Party. In April of 1847, a year after the Donner Party set out from Illinois, one last rescue party came to gather the emigrants' belongings. Keseberg alone was still alive. He had kept himself from starvation by subsisting on Tamsen Donner's body.