Donner Party Map, courtesy Donner Party Diary. Elijah P. Utter led a wagon train of 44 emigrants along the Oregon Trail. I hope that this does not impede what has been a tradition and legacy to the town of Canton and a historical memory of times lost. . Montpelier, Idaho 83254, document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) National Oregon/California Trail Center. Donner Lake,named for the party, is today a popular mountain resort near Truckee,Californiaand the Donner Camp has been designated as a National Historic Landmark. The initial group included 32 men, women and children. Patrick Breen was a member of the Donner Party and kept a diary of their ordeal during the winter of 1846-47. Her disease wasn't contagious no one else caught it from her but the pioneers didn't know this at the time. See production, box office & company info, Stage 19, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA. Their first destination wasIndependence,Missouri, the main jumping-off point for theOregonandCalifornia Trails. Finding the party at the south shore of the Great Salt Lake, Hastings accompanied Reed partway back to point out the new route, which he said would take them about one week to travel. In the meantime, the Graves family caught up with theDonner Party, which now numbered 87 people in 23 wagons. Anvils, weapons, plows, kegs, and barrels all dumped. She died near Twin Falls, Idaho, and the children ranging from 13 years old to a newborn were orphans for the first time. 8.1 (40) Rate. The Oregon Trail Was Filled with Hardship and Surprises, these 16 Facts Details emerge in tragic wagon train accident Cholera was the main scourge of the trail. That's horrible, but there's a fascinating footnote that comes out of all this. The wagon train encountered riders urging emigrants on the road to travel down to Fort Bridger and take a shortcut called the "Hastings . They took full advantage of the opportunity and poured in the first volley, Greer being struck in the breast, his life saved by a suspender buckle. Infuriated by the teamsters treatment of the oxen, James Reed ordered the man to stop and when he wouldnt, Reed grabbed his knife and stabbed the teamster in the stomach, killing him. Reed also hoped that his wife, Margaret, who suffered from terrible headaches, might improve in the coastal climate. The next day, they arrived at the lake camp to find that both of their sons had died. Along the way, William Russell resigned as the captain of the wagon train and the position was assumed by a man named William M. Boggs. Adventures and Tragedies on the Overland Trail - Legends of America It was here that the train would experience its first death when Sarah Keyes died and was buried next to the river. The Western Wagon Train: Part-Two, Life on the Trail - Frontier American While on a scout with his troop from Fort Union, New Mexico, Bell came upon White Wolf and an equal number of Apache. They'd established a safe home in the Walla Walla Valley, and within the year the seven had been officially adopted by the couple who were killed in a massacre three years later, along with John and Francisco Sager, the eldest children. The letter successfully allayed any fears that the party might have had regarding the Hastings cutoff. October 28th, an exhausted James Reed arrived at Sutters Fort, where he met William McCutchen, now recovered, and the two men began preparations to go back for their families. The breaking out of the Civil War required the withdrawal of many of the regulars from the Plains, and the Indians, quick to perceive their opportunity, began wholesale depredations. They killed and ate the cow, and the officer in charge was actually pretty diplomatic about the whole thing. The Tragic Story of the Donner Party - Legends of America As soon as Cody got a glimpse of the Indians, he handed the reins to Flowers and began applying the whip. When they finally reached the end of the grueling desert five days later on September 4th, the emigrants rested near the base of Pilot Peak for several days. No wonder he was so badass, just look what his parents went through. In wet weather, for mile after mile, the passengers might be compelled to plod beside the wheels, laboriously prying them out of the clinging mud and burdening the air with profanity. New York: Simon and Schuster . With the train desperately needing fresh meat, Cooper Smith, along with Barnaby, sets off . Obviously adventurous, the brothers decided to make one last trip toCalifornia, which unfortunately would be their last. But treachery worked their ruin. The weather and their hopes were not to improve. In a letter to her cousin in Illinois, Virginia Reed recounted that I have not wrote you half of the truble, but I hav Wrote you anuf to let you now what truble is, before concluding, Dont let this letter dishaten anybody. Omissions? Antonio, Patrick Dolan, Franklin Graves, and Lemuel Murphy soon died and in desperation, the others resorted to cannibalism. More than 155 years ago one of the worst tragedies in American travel occurred during the westward migration. His name was John Lawrence Grattan, and he was a second lieutenant in the Army stationed at Fort Laramie. Brian Altonen, a medical science and public health expert, took a look at the diseases running rampant through wagon trains and found the heartbreaking case of Susannah, a little girl who died just a month after her mother. Some of the men tried to hunt with little success. By 1850, the area was swimming with cholera. Talk about incentive. The rescue parties stumbled across some stragglers, but the most horrific scene was discovered by a Lieutenant Anderson. Two men and all the women got through to the Sacramento Valley. The others were taken captive, but only four were ransomed back the other fell ill and died. Food was a huge concern, and that makes Fort Laramie nicknamed "Camp Sacrifice" that much more tragic. On August 30, after gathering as much water and grass as they could carry, they entered the Great Salt Lake Desert. Five days later, on August 30th, the group began to cross the Great Salt Lake Desert, believing the trek would take only two days, according to Hastings. He never rejoined the group. In April of that year occurred a terrible fight between the mail-stage and Indians on the Sweetwater River. Indeed, even the survivors of the party encouraged others to undertake the journey. The Reeds, the Donners, and a number of others chose to head southwest toward Fort Bridger. Sell everything that doesn't fit into your wagon, and set out with no guidance from Google Maps? The Government offered $5000 for his capture, dead or alive, but death finally came to him in the form of malarial fever. Good in theory, but how many bankers knew which way to hold a gun? The forty-four member wagon train was composed of four families with twenty-one children, some single men, five recently discharged soldiers and an army deserter. In 1856, a series of poor harvests left the church with only a meager fund to . Animals could panic when wading through deep, swift water, causing wagons to overturn. He found a camp of 15 people, including five dead who had been partially eaten by the starving living. But in the mountain district to be traversed before reaching Santa Fe, the most serious disasters usually occurred during the winter. Miraculously, just three days later on October 19th, one of the men the party had sent on to Fort Sutter Charles Stanton, returned laden with seven mules loaded with beef and flour, two Indian guides, and news of a clear, but difficult path through the SierraNevada. and brush to protect themselves from the harsh conditions. While becoming so desperate as to eat tree bark seems like the worst part of the trail, there was one instance where it became worse for one wagon train party in the 1840s. In the twenty-one days since reaching the Weber River they had moved just 36 miles. Like most pioneer trains, the Donner Party was largely made up of family wagons packed with young children and adolescents. Delayed by a multitude of mishaps, they spent the winter of 1846-1847 snowbound in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. While the journey west was traditionally considered dangerous and deadly, this was especially the case for the Donner Party. The Denver Post reports the plan was simple: British and Scandinavian converts who were too poor to buy wagons would load all their worldly possessions onto a handcart, push them across the U.S., and make the journey in only 60 days. At Donner Lake, two more attempts were made to get over the pass in twenty feet of snow, until they finally realized they were snowbound for the winter. Living off the bodies of those that died along the path to Sutters Fort, the snowshoeing survivors were reduced to seven by the time they reached safety on the western side of the mountains on January 19, 1847. Given the starvation that happened later, it's impossible not to wonder how many people died dreaming of everything they dumped. On February 5, the first relief party of seven men left Johnsons ranch, and the second, headed by James Reed, left two days later. The total of deaths was thus 42, with 47 survivors. It was also the headquarters of the telegraph on the Plains, which had been inaugurated in 1861. On the Trail - Asa McCully's 1853 Wagon Train. Several Indians were killed, and at night they withdrew, leaving the defenders to harness themselves to the running gear and thus draw their wounded comrades to safety. The Donner Camp has been the site of recent archeological excavations. Devil's Gate: Brigham Young and the Great Mormon Handcart Tragedy. This point was then the junction between the Overland mainline and the newly established branch leading to Denver. With the addition of roughly a dozen teamsters and employees, this initial party numbered some 31 people, and within a month the Donners and Reeds had reached Independence, Missouri. According to Peter D. Olch, being run over by wagon wheels was the most frequent cause of injury or death. Disease and Death on the Overland Trails - Legends of America 27 Sep. 1964. There was actually someone riding ahead of the Donner Party acting as a scout, and Edwin Bryant sent a letter back warning them it was too dangerous to take the so-called shortcut. During their first week in the Cutoff, the Donner party made good progress. As early as 1860, trouble began after the beginning of emigration to Colorado and the discovery of gold in the Rocky Mountains. I don't know if anyone recorded the number of dishonest wagon masters, but in the hundreds of wagon trains heading to Oregon or California there certainly were some incompetent ones. They lived, met, married, and had a son you probably know of: Butch Cassidy. A few days later, the party was caught in a blizzard and had great difficulty getting and keeping a fire lit. Byways & Historic Trails Great Drives in America, Soldiers and Officers in American History, Easy Travel Organization Tips You Will Love, Bidwell-Bartleson Party Blazing the California Trail. Cholera was the main scourge of the trail. Two days after the Snyder killing, on October 7th, Lewis Keseberg turned out a Belgian man named Hardcoop, who had been traveling with him. The oxen moved slowly forwardand the long journey had begun.. Time was supposed to heal all wounds, he wrote, but that was B.S. My father, with tears in his eyes, triedto smile as one friend after another grasped his hand in a last farewell. Twelve of the emigrants were dead and of the forty-eight remaining, many had gone crazy or were barely clinging to life. Donner party | History, Facts, & Survivors | Britannica Jim Bridger and his partner Louis Vasquez assured the Donner Party that the Hastings Cutoff was a good route. The village head, Conquering Bear, also died, and it only escalated from there. Taking a vote among the party members, the group decided to try the new trail rather than backtracking to Fort Bridger. 8.1 (40) Rate. Ross is a woman who gets handed a double On May 25ththe train was held for several days by high water at the Big Blue River near present-day Marysville,Kansas. Meanwhile, Reed and McCutchen had headed back up into the mountains attempting to rescue their stranded companions. With the Sierra pass just 12 miles beyond, the wagon train, after attempting to make the pass through the heavy snow, finally retreated to the eastern end of the lake, where level ground and timber was abundant. When he sees an opportunity at the bank, it leads to tragedy.Don Brooke is desperate for money for his pregnant wife Bonnie, whose condition is too delicate for the long trip without more medical care so he seeks a bank loan. On August 25th, the caravan lost another member, one Luke Halloran, who died of consumption, near present-day Grantsville,Utah. Newspapers printed letters and diaries and accused the travelers of bad conduct, cannibalism, and even murder. When it cleared, Isaac Donner had died and most of the refugees were too weak to travel. Wagon Train cast list, including photos of the actors when available. Such diseases as cholera, small pox, flu, measles, mumps, tuberculosis could spread quickly through an entire wagon camp. Early contact between settlers and Native Americans was relatively peaceful, according to WyoHistory. Donner party, also called Donner-Reed party, group of American pioneersnamed for the expeditions captain, George Donnerwho became stranded en route to California in late 1846. On the far side of the desert, an inventory of food was taken and found to be less than adequate for the 600-mile trek still ahead. The dead of those awful years lies numberless and nameless in their unknown, scattered graves. Beside the driver, named Frank Williams, sat one of the robbers, thoroughly disguised. Swollen rivers could tip over and drown both people and oxen. The next day, they arrived at Alder Creek to find that the Donners had also resorted to cannibalism. On December 15, Balis Williams died of malnutrition and the group realized that something had to be done before they all died. Of the 81. Two men saved their lives, one feigning death in the bottom of the coach, the other escaping into the brush. Grattan took several howitzers, which is not how you start a peaceful negotiation when tensions are already high. In four weeks, they had killed and captured 45 whites between Sage Creek and Virginia Dale in Colorado. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Donner-party, Legends of America - The Tragic Story of the Donner Party, EyeWitness to History.com - The Tragic Fate of the Donner Party, 1847, Online Nevada Encyclopedia - Donner Party, Donner party - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). The wagon train party is now known as the Donner Party or the Donner-Reed Party. As they broke a new trail through the nearly impassible terrain of the Wasatch Mountains, they lost about two weeks time. The most important of these, situated in the very heart of this blood-stained territory, was Julesburg, Colorado. Wagon Train - Season 8 - IMDb Hilarity! On October 31 the weary migrants approached what is now Donner Pass across the Sierra Nevada and found their progress blocked by deepening snow. Five of the emigrants died before reaching the mountain camps, 34 at the camps or on the mountains while attempting to cross, and one just after reaching the settlements. There followed a 24-hour fight, from which the whites emerged with a loss of but three men killed and eight wounded. Both children and adults could slip while getting out of a wagon and fall beneath the wheels. The group scattered, and one of the soldiers made it to a military camp outside Fort Dalles to sound the alarm. When it was obvious a person wouldnt last the day, the train would often hold up moving in order to wait for the end. There was just as much dysentery and cholera as your MS-DOS family faced, but there was another huge problem, too a lack of gun safety classes. He was a member of the Donner Party, and according to Sierra College, he paid horribly for his survival. Major threats to pioneer life and limb came from accidents, exhaustion, and disease. Heroically struggling through the deep snow, seven men reached the lake camp on February 18. By the time the Donner party reached the Humboldt River, where Hastings Cutoff rejoined the main California Trail, it was late September. As a protection for both lines, the Government later erected Fort Sedgwick on the South Fork of the Platte River. At the bottom of JacobDonnerssaddlebag was a copy of Lansford Hastingss Emigrants Guide, with its tantalizing talk of a faster route to the garden of the earth. The drivers cracked their whips. It crossed the plains without difficulty, but as it neared Fort Bridger a dispute arose. Children were especially susceptible to being run over by heavy wagons. On July 31st, the party left Fort Bridger, joined by the McCutchen family. Such diseases as cholera, small pox, flu, measles, mumps, tuberculosis could spread quickly through an entire wagon camp. Applebee's great wagon train of 1843 was fairly unusual in its size (120 wagons), but it did what only . The warriors, or nearly all of them, threw themselves on the ground, and several vertical wounds were received by horse and rider. The Hastings Cutoff and Highway 80 Tragedy of the Donner Party They were heading for California, not Oregon (via Online Nevada), when they set off in 1846, and about half met their grisly end in the Sierra Nevada mountains. As was their custom, the Indians attacked at dawn, and the whites were compelled to run their coaches alongside each other, pile mail-sacks between the wheels, and throw sand over them for breastworks. This new route enticed travelers by advertising that it would save the pioneers 350-400 miles on easy terrain. Susannah was passed into the care of a new mother breastfeeding her own child, and Altonen says in order to keep that woman's child away from any possible infection the orphan might be carrying, the caregiver opted to give the baby cow's milk instead of breastfeeding. This horrific incident came to be called the Jalian Wallabagh of the South. With over 100 men under him, he robbed ranches and attacked wagon trains, coaches, and army caravans. The British Raj tried to cover up this heinous event but. On August 6, the party reached the Weber River after having passed through Echo Canyon. Did you always pick the banker because you'd start with the most money? W. F. Cody (Buffalo Bill) was a driver between Split Rock and Three Crossings, one of the most perilous sections. At the lake stood one existing cabin and realizing they were stranded, the group built two more cabins, sheltering 59 people in hopes that the early snow would melt, allowing them to continue their travels. He was pulling a gun from the back of his wagon muzzle first when it discharged and shot him in the chest. The terrible ordeals of the caravan continued to mount when on October 12th, their oxen were attacked by PiuteIndians, killing 21 one of them with poison-tipped arrows, further depleting their draft animals.