A Dark Chapter From American History
The infamous story of the Donner Party is one of the most chilling accounts from American history, proving just how dangerous westward migration in the 19th century could be. Many have heard about how this doomed group of settlers made several oversights and errors that ultimately led them to cannibalize one another to survive.
Today, we’ll explore the unfortunate twists and turns that led them straight into a real-life nightmare.
Heading For California
The year was 1846, the starting point was Independence, Missouri, and the destination that glittered on the far-off horizon was California. In the beginning, the Donner Party consisted of two main families: the Donners and the Reeds. But they would eventually be joined by other families along the way.
Sadly, the Donner Party made their first mistake before the wheels on their wagons even began turning.
National Parks Gallery, Picryl
Their First Mistake
Before setting out on this long journey, they collected and organized their rations for the estimated time it would take for them to arrive in California—around four months. Because they traveled by wagon, they could only carry a certain amount of food.
Little did they know, the meat, flour, and various other goods they packed—like beans and cornmeal—just weren’t enough to cut it in the long run.
They Should Have Left Earlier
Tragically, the Donner Party made another crucial error before heading out: They began their journey far too late. You see, moving westward along the California Trail wasn’t a route you could just wing at any time of the year—and for good reason.
National Parks Gallery, Picryl
They Chose A Perilous Timeline
The ideal time for them to kick off their expedition from Missouri to California would have been in April. This would have allowed the Donner Party to follow a safer timeline—and they’d be moving in harmony with the changing seasons.
Based on this timing, their pack animals would have had access to longer grasses during the spring season—but even more importantly, the travelers would have been able to reach the mountain passes before the winter season hit. But what did the Donner Party do?
They Were The Stragglers Of The Season
They missed the April deadline altogether, instead making the mind-boggling decision to delay their travels until May 12, 1846. In fact, when it came to migration pioneers, they were one of the final groups of that year to start moving. As we’ll see, this was a decision that only some of them would live to regret.
Lawrence & Houseworth, publisher., Wikimedia Commons
No Room For Error
A brutally late start meant that the Donner Party couldn’t really afford to mess up at all. They had to stay on track and their lives depended on it. Certainly, some of the party would eventually recognize the potential consequences of their actions, with one migrant writing, “I am beginning to feel alarmed at the tardiness of our movements and fearful that winter will find us in the snowy mountains of California”.
Internet Archive Book Images, Wikimedia Commons
Crossing The Big Blue River
The Donner Party ran into trouble right out of the gates. One of their first major hurdles was the Big Blue River, which winds through Kansas. Just two weeks after leaving Independence, they realized they had to get to the other side of the river. But there was just one problem.
John P Salvatore, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
The Constructed Rafts
There had been so much rainfall that the waters were incredibly high, making their crossing downright dangerous. They wound up constructing rafts just to transport all of their goods and wagons over the water. On top of this staggering inconvenience, tragedy also befell them for the first time.
T. H. O'Sullivan, Wikimedia Commons
Their First Taste Of Tragedy
James Reed—the Reed family's patriarch—had a very ill mother-in-law, Sarah Keyes, who suffered from tuberculosis. Sadly, she succumbed to her illness by the side of the river. Faced with grief and a worrisome delay, spirits were no doubt deeply affected. To make matters worse, they couldn’t even attempt a crossing until May 31st, the water having reached an acceptable level just the day before.
The Donner Party continued on—a full week behind—eventually arriving in Fort Laramie, Wyoming by the end of June. Here, they encountered a number of red flags, but they would end up casting a blind eye on all of them.
National Parks Gallery, Picryl
They Learned About A New Route
You see, while staying at the fort, Reed had an important encounter with a man named James Clyman. Clyman had recently taken a brand new route alongside Lansford Hastings—a route that would eventually become known as Hastings Cutoff. Having experienced this route himself, Clyman issued a chilling warning.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
They Ignored The Red Flags
Instead of recommending this new route, Clyman strongly advised Reed not to attempt the trek—and his reasons made complete sense. Because the passage was difficult to navigate on foot, making it through with wagons would be downright “impossible”. He strongly recommended that the party follow the traditional route.
Tragically, his sound advice fell on deaf ears.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
They Fell For It
Not long after this encounter, on July 12, the Reed and Donner families received a fateful letter from Lansford Hastings himself. Hastings had sent these letters to many migrants to promote his supposedly faster route: Hastings Cutoff. He also had his own guidebook for it, fittingly called Lansford Hastings’ Emigrant’s Guide. But that wasn’t all.
Lansford Hastings, Wikimedia Commons
They Trusted The Wrong Man
Hastings issued a warning of his own, claiming that the Mexican authorities would pose a problem for the settlers in California. Not only did he recommend they travel in bigger parties, but he also recommended the aforementioned “new and better road to California”. To make his suggestions even sweeter, he even offered to guide migrants along the route himself, urging them to meet him at Fort Bridger.
Internet Archive Book Images, Wikimedia Commons
Their Guide Left Without Them
Encouraged by Hastings’ letter, the Donner Party traveled to Fort Bridger, eager to meet their expert guide. Unfortunately, upon their late arrival, they received the most disappointing news. Hastings had already departed the fort. Still, this wasn’t the end of the road. After all, Hastings had left directives for any party that wished to follow in his footsteps. But this wasn’t the only vote of confidence they got.
James Ackerman, Wikimedia Commons
They Thought They'd Made The Right Decision
At Fort Bridger, the party also met the mountaineer Jim Bridger, who also gave Hastings Cutoff his seal of approval. Based on James Reed’s records, it was clear that he felt very confident in his decision based on Bridger’s recommendation: "Hastings Cutoff is said to be a saving of 350 or 400 miles (640 km) and a better route. The rest of the Californians went the long route, feeling afraid of Hastings' cutoff. But Mr. Bridger informs me that it is a fine, level road with plenty of water and grass”.
Tragically, though, Bridger likely had an ulterior motive.
Denver Public Library, Wikimedia Commons
They Had A Crook In Their Midst
You see, Jim Bridger owned a trading post and the more people opted to follow Hastings Cutoff, the more traffic he would get. Therefore, it was in his own best interests to recommend the perilous route for migrants. Somehow, though, his crooked ways ran even deeper. Allegedly, he’d hidden something very important from the Donner Party.
They Never Read The Letters
You see, the journalist Edwin Bryant had written letters for the Donner Party, leaving them at Blacks Fork for them to receive. This correspondence explicitly advised them not to follow Hastings Cutoff. Bryant had traveled ahead of them, setting eyes on the route himself. What he witnessed was unbelievable.
Paul Hermans, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
The New Route Was Dangerous
Upon getting a sense of Hastings Cutoff, a real sense of urgency surged through Bryant. He thought of all the women and children in the Donner Party—not to mention their many wagons—and knew they would struggle immensely. But the letters he wrote for them never reached them… This is when Bridger played one of his nastiest hands.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
He Sabotaged Them
Bryant’s diary would later reveal his horrifying suspicion that Bridger purposefully neglected to share his letters with the Donner Party. Instead of being honest about the route, he spouted lies and encouragement—ultimately sealing the group’s gruesome fate.
Thinkfactory Media, Dead of Winter: The Donner Party (2015)
They Followed His Trail
And so, off the Donner Party went, moving south, with no clue just how bad things were going to get. Unlike the well-worn Oregon trail, Hastings Cutoff was not a clear path to follow. The group followed a trail of letters left by Hastings, who had pinned them to the trees. But on August 6th, they read a letter that posed even more problems.
Smith Collection/Gado, Getty Images
The Directions Were Confusing
In this particular letter, Hastings told the following party to stop in their tracks, confessing that the terrain ahead would be too difficult for the Donner Party to navigate. Alarmingly, they would have to change course. He advised one of the settlers to travel ahead and catch up with him, so that he could share the new direction they should take.
Thinkfactory Media, Dead of Winter: The Donner Party (2015)
Hastings Didn't Travel With Them
Facing yet another significant bump in the road, James Reed and two other men set out on a wild chase, looking for the elusive Hastings. Though they eventually found him, Hastings only joined Reed and his men for a fraction of the return trip, roughly showing them the new route to take. Then he went on his merry way, leaving Reed to travel back to his waiting troupe. And so the nightmare began in earnest.
Thinkfactory Media, Dead of Winter: The Donner Party (2015)
They Struggled Across Rough Terrain
This side mission caused an even further delay of five days, with the group setting off in the new direction on August 11th. As they navigated their way through the Wasatch Range, they quickly realized that so much of the route had yet to be cleared, and so they wasted precious time and energy clearing trees, bushes, and rocks.
They Were A Large Party
Around this time, the Donner Party grew. The Graves family had caught up to them, meaning that their numbers rose to a total of 87 settlers. The party now traveled with around 60 to 80 wagons. Unfortunately, things were about to take a desperate turn.
Navigating The Wasatch Range
Moving through the Wasatch Range was a slow business—and it took them weeks to finally escape it. The treacherous nature of the journey began to weigh on the settlers and some even began to question if they should have taken the popular route in the first place.
Crossing The Great Salt Lake Desert
At the end of August, the group discovered another one of Hasting’s letters—and it was falling apart. From what they could piece together, the road ahead looked bleak, with a stretch of land completely devoid of any water or grass. They hunkered down, storing as much water and grass as they could before setting out. They were about to navigate what would one day be described by author Ethan Rarick as, “one of the most inhospitable places on earth”.
National Archives and Records Administration, Picryl
The Crossing Took Longer Than Expected
According to Hastings, the journey across the Great Salt Lake Desert should have taken two days, but for the Donner Party, it took six. The conditions they encountered were unbelievable. Imagine a sprawling stretch of white salt, with no signs of life. But that wasn’t the worst part.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
Brutal Temperatures
Traveling during the day was a downright cooker. It was so hot, that any moisture lurking beneath the salt made the terrain sticky and muddy. This caused a terrible predicament for the wagons—their wheels sinking into the salty slop. In an oppressive contrast, the nights proved just as unbearable and terribly cold. But this was nothing compared to the pangs of thirst they began to experience.
Walt Disney, One More Mountain (1994)
They Ran Out Of Water
Three days into the journey, the party made a chilling realization: The water they had packed was completely used up. Members of the party began abandoning their animals, who were too exhausted to go any further. The lack of water took a heavy toll. Even James Reed’s oxen lost their minds.
Walt Disney, One More Mountain (1994)
They Lost Their Animals
10 of Reed’s oxen were so delirious from thirst that they ended up escaping and running into the heart of the desert. But he wasn’t the only one to lose track of his animals.
By the time the Donner Party eventually arrived on the other side, the dark truth had become shockingly clear: Choosing to follow Hastings Cutoff had been a grievous mistake.
Walt Disney, One More Mountain (1994)
Two Men Go Looking For Help
With morale and provisions running low, two men—William McCutchen and Charles Stanton—volunteered to travel ahead to Sutter’s Fort in California. They hoped to find help from a man named John Sutter who had a reputation for lending aid to struggling settlers.
Walt Disney, One More Mountain (1994)
Morale Was Low
Meanwhile, the remaining party had no choice but to continue following Hastings’ terrible route. By the time they made it to the original trail, they were a month behind schedule. Tensions amidst the group, at this point, were higher than ever. It was only a matter of time before somebody snapped.
Walt Disney, One More Mountain (1994)
Members Began Fighting With One Another
In October, the families split up, hoping this would remedy their lost time. Around this time, a bloody scuffle came to pass. One member of the party named John Snyder unleashed aggression upon another member’s ox because two wagons became stuck to each other. But when James Reed stepped in, Snyder had a terrifying reaction.
Walt Disney, One More Mountain (1994)
Reed Fought Back
Snyder suddenly turned on Reed, striking him as well. In this demented domino effect, Reed’s wife also stepped in, only to face Snyder’s wrath as well. Reed refused to take such treatment lying down and ended up stabbing his assailant. Snyder did not survive. Now the party had a murder on their hands.
Walt Disney, One More Mountain (1994)
They Exiled Him
Unfortunately for Reed, his poor decision-making throughout this trip had caused him to fall out of favor with most of the party. Though many had witnessed Snyder acting out, the general consensus was that Reed should be kicked out of the party entirely, which they considered far more merciful than outrightly executing him. And so Reed had no choice but to continue his journey alone, without his family.
Walt Disney, One More Mountain (1994)
They Turned On One Another
All of this hardship led to strong divisions within the Donner Party. Not only did they physically split up into different groups, but they began to turn against one another as well. Instead of working as a team, they began taking a more selfish approach to their needs and wants.
Daniel A. Jenks, Wikimedia Commons
Everyone Had To Walk
One horrifying account involves one of the elderly settlers named Hardcoop. Due to the animals’ failing health, every member agreed to walk instead of ride in the wagons. Despite his age, Hardcoop wasn’t given a free pass. One of the younger members, Lewis Keseberg, threatened him, ordering the old man to walk like everyone else.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
The Elderly Suffered
It only took a couple of days for Hardcoop to reach the end of his rope. His feet were like two pieces of raw meat, utterly ravaged by walking. After stopping by a stream, he disappeared. Though one man wanted to search for him, the rest of the party had hardened their hearts. They weren’t about to risk their own lives for such a feeble member of their group.
Thinkfactory Media, Dead of Winter: The Donner Party (2015)
Reed Heads To California
Though forced to travel alone, the banished James Reed proved to be much faster than his original party, even catching up with the Donner group that had pulled ahead of the pack. Here, he joined up with Walter Herron, both men breaking away from the party—riding a single horse and heading to California. The clock had already begun ticking a long time ago.
Walt Disney, One More Mountain (1994)
They Left Their Wagons Behind
Collectively, the Donner Party was in dire straits. For one, the Paiute Native Americans continued to target their cattle, both capturing them and shooting them. On top of these major losses, they were on the brink of running out of food. Without their animals, many of the families had to leave their wagons in the dust, making their way on foot.
Walt Disney, One More Mountain (1994)
They Headed For Sierra Nevada
Though the party managed to escape the desert and reunite with greener pastures, they had no time to waste. The arrival of winter would be their greatest enemy, and so they plowed ahead toward the Sierra Nevada in a race against time.
Amid all their stresses, came a brief beacon of light.
Jeffrey Pang, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
There Was A Silver Lining
As mentioned previously, two members of the Donner Party had ridden ahead in the hopes of getting help. After reaching Sutter’s Fort, Charles Stanton remained true to his word. He gathered provisions for the party and returned, even bringing along two Native American guides. He also shared some shocking news.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
The Worst Was Yet To Come
According to Stanton, both Reed and Herron had survived their own journey to Sutter’s Fort—though barely. Both men were utterly wrecked by the time they arrived and on the brink of starvation.
At this point, the Donner Party likely felt a bit emboldened. But if they thought they’d made it through the worst of the journey, they were so wrong.
Gleason's Pictorial Drawing Room Companion, Wikimedia Commons
They Almost Made It
By early November 1846, the Donner Party finally made it to the Sierra Nevada. They were so close—just 100 miles left of their long journey. However, fate had another cruel twist in store for them. A terrible blizzard caused the mountain pass to be buried in snow. The conditions were so terrible that they had no choice but to stop. They were officially trapped.
Russell, Andrew J., Wikimedia Commons
Trapped At Truckee Lake
The Donner Party had not been able to beat the winter season—and now they had to pay a terrible price. They would have to survive the brutal cold, setting up camp close to Truckee Lake. However, though their comrade Stanton had brought them back food, it simply wasn’t enough. Already, their rations had run dangerously low.
Bruce C. Cooper (DigitalImageServices.com), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Their Animals Perished In The Snow
To make matters worse, all of the livestock began to die off—the oxen's bodies freezing in the open air. Following these losses, another week-long storm managed to knock out the rest of their animals, including horses and cattle. Some members even attempted to trek through the pass on their own, but always failed.
Bureau of Land Management, Flickr
Horrific Living Conditions
The living conditions at the Truckee Lake site were utterly deplorable. The cabins were rank, with everyone living in close quarters. But the food was even worse. For the most part, they sustained themselves on oxhide and broth made from the bones of the dead animals. As well, whenever they could, they trapped and ate any rodents that scurried through the cabin.
Thinkfactory Media, Dead of Winter: The Donner Party (2015)
Most Of Them Were Children
Perhaps one of the saddest facts about the Donner Party was that most members were actually children or young adults. 81 people found themselves trapped by the snow—and over 50% of them were youngsters. Heck, six of them were just infants.
Thinkfactory Media, Dead of Winter: The Donner Party (2015)
"The Forlorn Hope"
In mid-December, a group of 17 members made the perilous decision to tackle the mountain pass on their own. They fashioned handmade snowshoes and brought just enough food for six days. Two of them bowed out early and returned to camp, leaving 15 travelers. This brave group would eventually become known as "The Forlorn Hope”—and boy was this a fitting name.
Thinkfactory Media, Dead of Winter: The Donner Party (2015)
They Were Sadly Inexperienced
The group of snowshoers was very inexperienced when it came to camping in such snowy conditions. It only took three days for the majority of them to suffer from snow blindness. Stanton was one member of the group who fell behind and eventually perished. But his loss was only the beginning.
Thinkfactory Media, Dead of Winter: The Donner Party (2015)
They Considered The Unthinkable
All of the travelers lost their way and inevitably ran out of food. This is when they began pondering the unimaginable—eating one another to survive. The desperation was so severe that they began to come up with the wildest suggestions about who would be the one to offer up their own flesh for the benefit of the entire group.
Thinkfactory Media, Dead of Winter: The Donner Party (2015)
They Were Starving
One suggestion was that a member should willingly sacrifice themselves. Other ideas included a lottery and even a duel. Another option was for the group to just keep pushing forward until someone naturally collapsed. But then a blizzard fell upon them.
Thinkfactory Media, Dead of Winter: The Donner Party (2015)
The Made A Difficult Decision
The blizzard was intense and members of the group began to pass away. That’s when the group made the difficult decision to eat and preserve the flesh of their fallen comrades. But the extremes they were willing to go to to survive didn’t end there.
Thinkfactory Media, Dead of Winter: The Donner Party (2015)
They Targeted The Native Americans In Their Group
By the end of December, even the human rations had been completely eaten. Sadly, this was when some members of the group began thinking about murder—specifically targeting the two Native American guides, Luis and Salvador. After all, the lives of Native Americans weren’t considered as important compared to the rest of the group.
Albert Bierstadt, Wikimedia Commons
They Lost Their Lives
Though Luis and Salvador initially broke off from the group after being warned that their lives were in danger, they still couldn’t escape a horrific end. Days later, the group found the two guides suffering from starvation. It was William Foster who fulfilled his initial scheme by slaying them for food.
Anacapa Entertainment, The Donner Party (2009)
Only Seven Survived
Out of the 15 members of "The Forlorn Hope," only seven made it out alive. After 33 days of wandering in the cold, they found refuge in a Native American village. One of the survivors, William Eddy, went ahead for more help—and eventually reached a ranch near Sacramento Valley. From here, a rescue team went back for the six other survivors of the snowshoeing party.
Anacapa Entertainment, The Donner Party (2009)
Malnutrition Became Their Worst Enemy
Meanwhile, the party back at Truckee Lake was also struggling. They’d gone so far as to eat tree bark, the roofs of their cabin, and boiled leather. Malnutrition became the camp’s grim reaper. It wasn’t until February and March that rescue parties managed to reach them. But even then, the nightmare was far from over.
Anacapa Entertainment, The Donner Party (2009)
A Long Rescue Mission
Unfortunately, the rescue mission took a long time—over two months. The first relief party arrived in February. However, many of the settlers were far too exhausted and ill to travel. Even worse? Many who attempted the escape also perished. In total, four relief missions arrived at Truckee Lake.
A Notable Hero
The third relief party included John Stark, whose valiant efforts made him a hero of the Donner Party story. In March 1847, he and other rescuers made a tragic discovery. 11 victims had been left behind by the previous relief effort—and nine of them were children, who were too sick to walk.
Anacapa Entertainment, The Donner Party (2009)
He Carried Them Down The Mountain
To ensure their survival, Stark took it upon himself to carry most of the children down the mountain. His process was grueling. He’d shoulder two of them for a stretch before putting them down and retracing his steps to wrangle the other ones.
Walt Disney, One More Mountain (1994)
James Reed Never Gave Up
Another important name to remember is that of the exiled James Reed, who had managed to reach California before the winter hit. He worked hard to organize the second rescue mission of the Donner Party. After all, his family was among the stranded settlers. His efforts undoubtedly saved lives.
Walt Disney, One More Mountain (1994)
The Final Survivor Stood Trial
Disturbingly, the final relief mission might have been the worst of them all. In mid-April, there was just one man left standing—Lewis Keseberg. But the surrounding campsite was a gruesome sight to behold: There were cannibalized remains in his vicinity.
Though Keseberg eventually stood trial for taking the lives of his comrades and consuming them, he was not found guilty. His reputation, however, never recovered.
Walt Disney, One More Mountain (1994)
An Unimaginable Experience
Though 45 of the 81 settlers survived, this was far from a happy ending. Those who pulled through suffered deep scars—both mentally and physically. They’d lived through a real-life horror story, and almost everyone had lost a close family member.
Anacapa Entertainment, The Donner Party (2009)
Two Families Didn't Suffer Any Losses
The horrific migration widowed both George and Jacob Donner and even claimed the lives of some of their children. Of the many families that traveled with the Donner wagon train, only two families miraculously survived without losing a single member. These lucky few were the Reed family and the Breen family.
Anacapa Entertainment, The Donner Party (2009)
An American Tragedy
The story of the Donner Party—and especially the unimaginable choices that they had to make—has continued to fascinate people to this day. It is one of the most extreme survival stories, punctuated by a dark shadow of many fatalities. Every migrant had been in search of a better life—but, for many of them, the journey only led them to their tragic ends.
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