The Donner Party Disaster of 1846-1847 (Episode 41)

In the spring of 1846, a group of 90 would-be settlers left Independence, Missouri, for new lives in California. Led by James Reed and George Donner, the group planned to head west by covered wagon as quickly and comfortably as possible, using the Oregon and California trails. But after being delayed by bad directions, a murder trial, an endless desert 'shortcut', and crippling losses, the Donner Party reached the last leg of their journey weeks behind schedule, only to be stopped by an early snowstorm in the Sierra Nevadas. Trapped by below-freezing temperatures and twenty feet of snow, they settled in to try and survive until help arrived, and soon found themselves starving and freezing to death in the most brutal circumstances imaginable. On this episode, we look into the unluckiest road trip in the history of westward expansion, plus a collection of grifters, a very persuasive guidebook, and one of the longest and strangest rescue efforts we've ever come across. 

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Sources for this episode include:

“Ordeal by Hunger”, by G. R. Stewart, 1936

"The Expedition of the Donner Party and its Tragic Fate", by E. P. D. Houghton

"The Tragic Story of the Donner Party", by L. Radford, 2019

“Diary of Patrick Breen” by P. Breen, 1846-1847

“The Case for Cannibalism” by C. Cassidy, Wired.com, 2021

"Emigrants’ Guide to Oregon and California” by L. W. Hastings, 1845