The Donner Party

Who were the Donner Party?

The Donner Party were travellers from the east, on their way to California. They were led by the Donner brothers, using a new shorter trail mapped by Lansford Hastings. They became trapped in the mountains during the winter, and turned to cannibalism to survive.

When did the Donner Party travel to California?

The Donner Party started their journey in May 1846, but became trapped in the winter of 1846. The first person died on the 15th December.

How many people were in the Donner Party?

87 people left for California, but only 46 arrived.

Why did the Donner Party get stranded?

The Donner Party became stranded for several reasons.

• ❖ They left later than other pioneers that year.
• ❖ They took a new and more difficult route, which was meant to be shorter. However, it was away from the more common trails, so was harder to follow.
• ❖ The weather was poor, and the winter was particularly harsh. Snow storms trapped them in the mountains.
• ❖ Because the route was not established it had no forts where they could get supplies. There were also no established river crossings. These had to be created from scratch, which made the journey harder.