This article was originally published on WHerMoments
The awful fate that befell the Donner Party in the mountains of the Sierra Nevada has gone down in history as one of America’s most gruesome tragedies. But the grisly deaths and stomach-churning survival tactics documented at the time weren’t even the worst-case scenario. If it hadn’t been for the actions of heroes — and a few lucky twists of fate — the tragedy could have been even worse.
Heading west
The story begins in May 1846, when a large party of pioneers departed from the town of Independence, Missouri, in search of a new life out west.
For years, migrants had been leaving their homes to settle in California and Oregon Territory, drawn by everything that this new land of wealth and opportunity promised.
Manifest destiny
For some, the appeal lay in the religious freedom and economic prospects that awaited on the western coast. Others, meanwhile, felt drawn there by what was known as manifest destiny — the idea that European Americans had a divine right to settle across the country.
Whatever their reasons, many families had already made the long journey by the time this particular wagon train set out.
A late start
By pioneer standards, the wagons were already late leaving Independence. The journey, which would take them along the Oregon Trail before switching to the southern California Trail, was perilous at all times of the year.
But in order to stand the best chance of success, migrants needed to travel within a specific window — and time was running out.
The Donner Party sets out
If the pioneers set out too early, you see, they wouldn’t find enough grass along the way to keep their pack animals healthy and well fed. But if they left too late, they ran the risk of encountering heavy snow in the mountain passes.
Unfortunately, the Donner Party were among the last to leave Missouri and start the long journey west.
A fresh start
Brothers George and Jacob Donner had already migrated successfully in the past, traveling from the Atlantic coast to Mississippi. And now, they wanted to see what California had to offer.
Accompanied by their wives and young children — as well as several hired hands — they had no reason to believe anything other than hope and adventure lay ahead. But they were wrong.
Little Sandy River
For the first two months of the journey, the Donners traveled west as part of a large wagon train, following the well-established route of the Oregon Trail.
But when they reached a spot known as Little Sandy River in Wyoming, a schism formed within the group.
A fork in the road
Most of the travelers, it seems, wanted to continue along to Fort Hall before turning south towards California. However, the others had been influenced by an unscrupulous explorer named Lansford Hastings.
He had, he claimed, mapped out a far more convenient way for the wagon train to reach its final destination.
The Hastings Cutoff
According to Hastings, this route would take the party straight across the Great Salt Lake Desert to join the California Trail on the other side — cutting miles off of their lengthy journey. In reality, this new route had only been explored on horseback and was ill-suited to wagons.
But several members of the group, including the Donners, were drawn in.
A fatal decision
Ultimately, a small group of migrants decided to follow the route known as the Hastings Cutoff. And by the time they turned south into the Wasatch Mountains, they were 87 in number — with 43 children of various ages.
Although there were several families traveling together at this point, George Donner soon assumed the position of leader.
The Great Salt Lake Desert
Unfortunately, it soon became clear that Hastings had grossly exaggerated the ease of this new route. With little in the way of an established path, migrants were forced to lug rocks and trees out of the way by hand.
And when they finally descended the mountains and approached the Great Salt Lake Desert, they realized their ordeal had only just begun.
Long journey
Jim Bridger, the owner of a nearby trading post, had informed the Donner Party that Hastings’ 40-mile route across the dry lake bed would take two days. But in the end, it lasted six, covering a distance of 80 miles.
By the time the migrants reached the other side, many of their supplies and animals had been lost to the desert.
Fateful delays
Needing time to rest and recover from their journey, the Donner Party soon fell far behind schedule. And by the time that they emerged from the Hastings Cutoff to rejoin the California Trail, their supposed short-cut had delayed them by approximately 30 days.
As they continued, they were plagued by more bad luck.
A run of bad luck
On several occasions, Native Americans allegedly stole or shot what little livestock remained. And once, an argument between two men escalated into a fatal stabbing — resulting in the culprit, James Reed, being banished from the party.
Ironically, he rode ahead and reached California safely, eventually becoming instrumental in the rescue effort.
The Sierra Nevada
Against all the odds, though, the Donner Party eventually reached the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, just a few hundred miles from their destination. But in order to get there, they had to cross over the inhospitable mountains — and winter was fast approaching.
Even so, they believed they had several weeks before snow would render the route impassable.
Truckee Lake
Sadly, fate was not on the Donner Party’s side. And in late October, as the migrants embarked on the final stage of their journey, an unseasonably early snowstorm blanketed the mountainside.
Unable to make it through the pass to California, the families were forced to hunker down at a spot known as Truckee Lake.
Winter encampment
In a series of makeshift structures, the Donner Party settled in to wait out the winter months. But they were ill-prepared for such a brutal endeavor.
After the long journey, supplies were running low, and the remaining livestock soon starved or froze to death. On several occasions, individuals set out to cross the mountains on foot, only to turn back each time.
Desperate measures
Without anything else to eat, the members of the Donner Party were reduced to cooking up the ox hides that formed their makeshift roofs. Eventually, as their loved ones sickened and died around them, a group of 17 men, women, and children decided to set off in search of aid.
And for more than a month, they tramped slowly westwards, their numbers dwindling as they succumbed to starvation and hypothermia.
The Forlorn Hope
At some point, reports claim, this determined band of explorers — later dubbed the Forlorn Hope — resorted to cannibalism to survive. And by the time they finally reached California, only five members of the party remained.
Nevertheless, they were able to raise the alarm, and rescuers began formulating plans to reach the beleaguered Donner Party.
Mounting a rescue
Unfortunately, rescue was no easy task. The remaining survivors were still trapped on a mountain surrounded by snow and ice — and that wasn’t all.
At the time, America was at war with Mexico and many of the able-bodied men were away fighting. Even worse, the conflict meant that communication was difficult and provisions in short supply.
Help at last
Despite these challenging conditions, a rescue mission left the Sacramento Valley on February 4, 1847. Led by a surviving member of the Forlorn Hope, they spent two weeks trekking eastwards through the mountains.
And on February 18, they finally located the bleak encampment belonging to the Donner Party.
James Reed
But even this wasn’t the end of their tribulations. Although the rescuers brought food to sustain the survivors, they couldn’t take all of them in one go.
In the end, 23 people left the mountain — leaving 33 behind. On their journey west, they encountered James Reed, who’d mounted his own rescue mission when the party failed to arrive in California.
Cannibalism
Weeks after the first group had departed, a second party reached the survivors at Truckee Lake — and they were met with a sorry sight. This time, the rescuers found evidence that the remaining members of the Donner Party had resorted to cannibalism, as well.
Despite their growing trepidation, they evacuated 14 children and three adults from the camp.
Final survivors
Finally, on March 14, the last rescue mission arrived at Truckee Lake, taking the remaining survivors back to civilization. Some, such as George Donner, were too weak to make the journey and stayed on at the camp.
By the time that salvage parties arrived in the spring, they found only one man, Lewis Keseberg, still living.
Haunted by trauma
In total, just 48 of the Donner Party’s 87 members survived. And in some cases, entire generations were wiped out.
In fact, only two families — the Reeds and the Breens, headed by patriarch Patrick — made it through the ordeal unscathed. Among those who reached California, many would be haunted by the trauma for the rest of their lives.
Gory details
In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, media coverage in the U.S. was divided.
Some papers, it seems, tried to downplay the incident, perhaps unwilling to dampen America’s enthusiasm for manifest destiny. Others, meanwhile, emphasized the gory details, focusing on the stories of cannibalism that had emerged from Truckee Lake.
A tragic chapter
Today, the events that befell the Donner Party are remembered as one of the most tragic chapters in American history. But the truth is, things could have been even worse.
And while the survivors certainly made some grim sacrifices in order to stay alive, there were plenty of tales of heroism as well.
John Stark
Chief among these is the story of John Stark, a settler who signed up to join the third rescue effort. On their way to Truckee Lake, the party encountered a certain spot.
Here, a group of survivors, unable to continue with the second relief mission, had stopped and established a meager camp.
Heroic rescue
While some members of the party pushed on to Truckee Lake, three men remained to help those left behind. But the survivors were weak and sickly — and many of them were very young.
Apparently, two of the rescuers picked up a child each and began descending the mountain. Stark, though, was determined to get all of them out alive.
Slow progress
At Stark’s encouragement, the group began to make slow progress westwards along the trail. When the younger ones grew too weak to walk, he picked them up and carried them, returning and repeating the process for each child.
Traveling in this piecemeal fashion, the entire party made it across the mountains alive.
God and Stark and the Virgin Mary
Were it not for Stark’s efforts, then, the death toll would have been even higher — and it would have included several more children as well. According to History.com, one of the girls who was rescued spoke out about the incident several years after the event.
Her survival, she said, was thanks to “nobody but God and Stark and the Virgin Mary.”
More heroism
Similarly, many more could have died if it weren’t for the efforts of Reed, who was determined to mount a rescue despite his earlier banishment from the party. But no matter how many heroic deeds can be attributed to the Donner Party, they will always be remembered for one dark thing.
That is, the cannibalism of their own dead.
The stigma of cannibalism
As the survivors attempted to return to their everyday lives, they found the stigma of being alleged cannibals followed them wherever they went. And in 1862, a guest at an inn, run by the Breen family, penned a letter to Harper’s Magazine.
In it, he expressed his disgust at having unknowingly taken lodgings with people who had once eaten human flesh.
A last resort
The truth, though, is that the members of the Donner Party resisted the temptation for as long as they could.
And it was only once every other food source had been exhausted, and they were facing the prospect of death from starvation, that some turned in desperation to the bodies of their fallen kin.
Bloodthirsty madness
Today, many remember the Donner party as civilized men-turned-savages — pioneers driven to a bloodthirsty madness after months of starvation. But the reality of the situation was much less dramatic.
And although some did eventually resort to cannibalism, there were surprisingly few conflicts between the families given their dire circumstances at the time.
Abraham Lincoln
In a final bizarre twist, the Donner Party expedition nearly included one very famous face. And had he died en route to California, America as we know it might not exist today.
According to reports, Reed was very friendly with a young Abraham Lincoln and attempted to persuade him to join the pioneers on their journey.
A different fate
Reportedly, Lincoln was actually tempted to make the trip. But in the end, the fact his wife was heavily pregnant at the time dissuaded him from joining the wagon train.
Instead, he remained in the east and started a career in politics, eventually becoming the 16th President of the United States.
Life after the Donner Party
It’s fortunate for American history, of course, that Lincoln decided against joining Reed on his journey west. But those who did — and survived to tell the tale — experienced a broad array of fates.
Some found the prosperity and success that had drawn them to California in the first place, while others would always live under the shadow of the Donner Party.
Success and failure
For Reed, life out west was kind. He made good money in the California Gold Rush and took two of the orphaned Donner children under his wing.
But for Keseberg, who’d perhaps taken to cannibalism with a little too much gusto, things were much harder. Dogged by rumors he had murdered George’s wife Tamsen to feast on her flesh, he ended his life as a miserable recluse.
The story continues
The last surviving member of the Donner Party, Isabella Breen, passed away in 1935. And in the years since, several books, documentaries, and a Hollywood movie have attempted to retell the awful tale.
But it’s important to remember that, were it not for the heroic actions of others, even more people would have died during the fateful expedition.