Over the years the donner story has been told by many different people in many different ways, but much of what has been written about the donner party is fiction. Californias donner lake got its name from the donner party, whose members endured a terrible winter nearby in 1846. The hunger is a supernatural spin on the donner party. An exact accounting of the donner party is made difficult by deciding exactly when the donner party actually formed. Author wants to stop sensationalizing the donner party in the best land under heaven, michael wallis chronicles the saga of a band of pioneers who resorted to. Donner party, group of american pioneers stranded en route to california in 1846. The donner party missed making its sierra crossing by about two days. His book was by far the most informed account of its time of the donner party. George donner was elected captain of the party at the little sandy river on july 20, 1846, but several people joined the party later, at fort bridger and in the wasatch. The group was named for the expeditions captain, george donner. The californiabound families were mostly from illinois and iowa, and most prominent among them were the two donner families and the reed family.
If i could blame one man for the deaths of 41 people in the donner party it would be lansford hastings, the creator, founder, director of the hastings cutoff disaster, circa 1846. The history of the donner party is a splendid piece of work. Michael wallis isnt afraid to tackle western icons. The story of the donner party has lived on, through a number of books and films based on the tragedy. Breen reportedly wrote this diary on several sheets of paper folded to form a thirtytwo page book. The donner party fortysix survivors out of an original 87, reached california starving, tired, and traumatized for life from the experience they had just been through. In 1846 eightyseven peoplemen, women, and childrenset out for california, persuaded to attempt a new overland route.
The party did not exist when its members crossed the missouri river in may, 1846. 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 lion of the west and billy the kid billy the kid. Because tamsen donner had appeared quite healthy to an earlier. A new history of the donner party and the dark side of. The donner party monument at the donner memorial state park. Late october found the donner party in truckee meadows, near presentday reno, nevada. Louis explores those roots and digs into the stories of the nearly 90 pioneers who made the journey in the best land under heaven. This winter marks the 170th anniversary of the tragic tale of the donner party. The great hinckley firestorm of 1894 2006 and the indifferent stars above. Congressman and donner went on to write a book about the donner party. Lansford warren hastings 18191870 is best remembered as the developer of hastings cutoff, a shortcut across what is now the state of utah, a factor in the donner party. The donner party was a group of californiabound pioneers that encountered severe weather in the sierra nevada and many died. Tamsen donner s last letter was written near the platte river and sent back to the sangamo journal, springfields local newspaper.
I dont have anything else to compare it to, because it is the first book ive ever read about the donner party, but i thought it was a well written pageturner. In 1846 eightyseven peoplemen, women, and childrenset out for california and were persuaded to attempt a new overland route. The hunger is inspired by the donner party, in which american pioneers resorted to cannibalism to avoid starvation. List of books and articles about donner party online. Watch the donner party american experience official. Only 48 of the 87 party members arrived in sacramento alive. Joan didions california is a place defined not so much by what her unwavering eye observes, but by what her memory cannot let go. His description was first published as an article in a nashville, tn newspaper in the spring of 1847 and later in a book published in 1879. It is a very detailed book that contains a few quotes from one of the people who traveled with the donner party who kept a journal of the events taking place at the time. Norton for his 20th book, a biography of outlaw belle starr.
Lake charles american press one of the most important sources of information concerning perhaps the best known, because it is the most sensational and horrifying, episode in western american history. It was the first serious attempt to consult authorative sources, weigh evidence, collect detached episodes into an organized whole, and extend the story of the donner party from a sensational incident to an important chapter in california history. Clinging to survival with his wife margaret and their. Many mistakes were made by a variety of people, but historians have labeled california land promoter lansford hastings as the villain in the story. For years ive waited for a book that delivers an indepth information on a 19 th century tragedy so great, its memory still dominates californias pregold rush era history that event was the winter stranding of the reed donner party high in the sierra nevada, the year before gold was discovered by millwright james marshall on the south fork of the american river in columa, ca. The endless ride and recently signed a contract with w. The tragedy of the donner party constitutes one of the most amazing stories of the american west. Donner and her surviving sisters raised each other in the san francisco bay area until 1861 when she married sherman otis houghton, the widower of another donner party survivor. Tracking down the truth of what happened to the donner party.
There was just enough extraneous historical detail to give some context to the story i especially enjoyed reading about birth control in the 1840s, and the parts about the disaster. Patrick breen was a member of the donner party and kept a diary of their ordeal during the winter of 184647. New light on the donner party kristin johnson home page. The diary entry below is from donner party member patrick breens journal, a remarkable documentation of the hardships and conditions that the group of pioneers had to endure. The best land under heaven is incredibly i picked it up in a bookstore in truckee in part because it was the staff pickif youre looking for a book on the donner party, the locals in an indie bookstore ought to know the contendersand because of those two, selfproclaimed selling points. This park was created by the state of california in 1927 to honor the pioneering spirit of the donner party, as well as to commemorate the tragic events that occurred in this sierra nevada valley during the winter of 184647. A tragedy of the sierra, was published in 1879 and went through many editions. One author s interpretation has become the next generation s fact, and few have stopped to question commonly held beliefs. What is the best book youve read about the donner party.
The story of the donner party, the illfated wagon train that faced horrific circumstances on its way to california, is the subject of books, videos, and, now, web sites. If the group of emigrants had had just a few breaks, almost no one today would have even heard of the donner party. The donner party, illfated settlers turned to cannibalism. Hastings, the donner party split off from the main body of emigrants heading for. It was widely circulated that members of the party resorted to cannibalism after their food ran out, giving the party its lasting notoriety. Compulsive readinga wonderful account, both scholarly and gripping, of a horrifying episode in the history of the west. Heres what happened to the survivors of the donner party. Alma katsus latest supernatural thriller is the hunger, based on the donner party incident of 18467, when a group of pioneers stranded in the sierra nevada resorted to cannibalism to survive a harsh winter.
Calabros offering is a fine addition to the donner party canon and particularly well suited to its young audience, for whom the story of hardship and survival will be nothing. Inclusion of a title on this page does not necessarily represent an endorsement. In july of that year, following the advice of a guide book written by a persuasive promoter named lansford w. On the way from the east, the group had taken a shortcut that. We are now on the platte, 200 miles from fort laramie. The octa bookstore carries a large selection of trailrelated items, including histories, overland diaries, maps, guidebooks, and many of the titles below.
From november 20, 1846 to march 1, 1847, irish immigrant patrick breen, a donner party member, kept a diary of his ordeal in the mountains. The donner party was a group of 89 emigrants from illinois who purportedly turned to cannibalism to survive after getting trapped by snowfall while on. Hes written bestselling biographies about david crockett david crockett. His latest best seller is the best land under heaven. The author s account is still the best available on that famous expedition. Lansford was born in ohio to wealthy parents who could trace their american origins back to. A former us senior intelligence analyst, katsus known for her hybrid literaryhistorical bestsellers like the taker, the reckoning, and the descent. Fiftynine people in the vanguard were forced to take refuge near truckee lake now donner lake, while the rest of the party, consisting of 22, was snowbound in a meadow six miles back. The local paiute indians were harassing them, and they were exhausted, demoralized, bitter and completely out of food. Donner party, group of emigrants to california who in the winter of 184647 met with one of the most famous tragedies in western history. This book on kindle, gives eye witness accounts from survivors and rescuers of the donner party s unfortunate endeavor to reach california and their trials and tribulations. In the 1870s he talked to survivors and pieced together a comprehensive account of the tragedy. The lake and summit would probably be named after elisha stephens who successfully pioneered the route two years earlier, in 1844. When the final rescue party arrived at the donner camp in april, 1847, lewis keseberg was the only survivor.
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