Donner Party Survival And Survival Tricks!

One of the most famous tragedies in early American history took place as pioneers ventured westward to California. The Donner Party tragedy revealed both heroes that should be praised forever and cowards that will have to live with their cowardice forever – beyond their mortal lives! Here are the ‘Donner Party survival and survival tricks.’

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The following is a brief and to the point chronological account of the famous Donner Party on their unbelievable and heroic quest to survive harsh rustic conditions, uncomfortable aggravating slow travel, extreme hunger, extreme thirst, bitter stinging cold, baking choking heat, great despair, great sadness,… but still they fought and fought and fought to live for themselves and especially for their children because they wanted to reach the promised land – California, a future for their family and generations to come.

They wanted to reach the promised land with their loved ones. There were many many individual tragedies on the westward immigration by pioneers but no group of pioneers stretched the envelope of extreme survival like the famous Donner Party.

The annotated dates below have been checked but might be a day off. Some data may be slightly in error for the 03 sources I used for this research, the 03 resources did not agree – coincide 100% with a few accounts.

Before I start let me give you some background about the Sierra Nevada where the Donner Party met their match.

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The Huge And Unforgiving Sierra Nevada!

The great Sierra Nevada covers most (75%) of California from its northern point near Susanville, CA to the southern point near the deadly Mojave Desert and a small section in western Nevada (Carson Nevada). The Sierra Nevada was named by the Spaniard Missionary Fray Pedro – he called it Una Gran Sierra Nevada which is Spanish for A Great Snow Range. That ought to give you a hint of what the Donner Party was up against.

The Sierra Nevada is complimented with almost 2,000 lakes & ponds and to newcomers a confusing maze of 500+ peaks with some elevating to more than 14,000-feet with their counterparts of thousands of steep draws and valleys. The Donner Party tragedies took place about 12-miles northwest of Lake Tahoe.

In January 1844 and just 03 years earlier and 40-miles away the famous Donner Party tragedy, the great explorer and trailblazer John Charles Fremont asked an indigenous Indian (lived in the area) how he could successfully traverse the mountainous area southwest of Lake Tahoe. The Indian talked to him and told him NOT TO DO IT DURING WINTER! Fremont was smart enough to do a live recon (PRSC) via an Indian subject. But guess what Fremont and his expedition did?

Yep, he traversed it anyway (see 27 June 1846 or keep reading) despite the warnings of the very wise Indian! The crossing caught them in severe snow blizzards so bad that they had to kill every animal they had in order to eat, and that included their pet dog Tlamath!

Even the wise Indians living in that area AVOIDED venturing through the mountains during winter months. The only exception was war, trading,… Did George Donner or James Reed know of Fremont’s near tragic venture? I don’t know – RFIR (Requires Further Intensive Research).

Now you have a hint of what kind of terrain and weather lives in the great unforgiving Sierra Nevada! One more matter I thought I’d throw in here for your safety are lightning strikes. With the elevation of the Sierras (14,000-feet), it invites lightning.

Between summer and fall months, 15 to 120 lightning strikes hit the high Sierras which eventually cause firestorms. I know you heard about uncontrolled California fires so if you’re in the area at this time of the year or ANY time of the year BE CAREFUL – use PRSC! See Survival Acronyms.

OK lets now go back in time and relive life with the famous Donner Party. ‘Donner party survival and survival tricks’ is a bit lengthly, so grab your snacks and drinks and kick back.

WARNING: The following researched accounts of the Donner Party include horrible and gruesome accounts of cannibalism. If you’re squeamish – AVOID this entire segment..

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The Donner Party Heroics And Tragedies!

In early 1846, a young 27-year old lawyer named Lansford W. Hastings, published a book titled The Emigrant’s Guide To Oregon and California. In his book he told of a new and quicker route to California. A route Hastings bragged about was a route he himself never travelled on, not yet. They called it the Hastings Cut-Off.

16 April 1846, 03 families left Springfield, Illinois on their way west to California. There 1st objective was Independence, Missouri. Two of the families were Donners and the 3rd the Reed Family. James F. Reed, a business man was instrumental in bringing the families together and venturing westward.

The 03 families, their servants, and hired hands consisted of 32 personnel. Their 1st checkpoint was to Independence, Missouri where the famous Oregon trail and the California trail met and separated going their different directions. Beyond Independence, Missouri was a great frontier.

16 April 1846, the same day the Reed – Donner Party left Springfield, Missouri, Hastings, author of The Emigrant’s Guide To Oregon and California, decided to actually travel his already publicized shorter and quicker route. But Hastings travelled the Hastings Cut-off in reverse from California going eastward in good springtime weather and without the slow & heavy loads of wagons.

11 May 1846, the Donner and Reed families arrived in Independence, Missouri. The spring rains turned the hard dry dirt roads into mud that bogged down all the wagons. Independence was busy and overcrowded with immigrants wanting to venture westward.

12 May 1846, the Donner – Reed Party departed Independence, Missouri westward. With them many other wagons and families. But for this segment, we’ll concentrate on the Donner Party. The land beyond Independence was absolutely beautiful and huge. Spring storms brought problems for them. The trail turned muddy, the camps flooded, and the cattle scared-off by storms.

The trail brought the 1st fatality, Sara Keyes, mother of Margaret Reed. She was already sick from consumption even before they left Springfield. They buried her on the trail under a tree. Sara Keyes was the 1st Reed -Donner Party death.

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Donner Party Fire-Starting: 16 June 1846, in 02 journals written by Mrs. George Donner, she writes that the Donner Party are negotiating the Platte about 200-hundred miles east of Fort Laramie.

In the Platte the trees are almost non-existent, therefore they had to IMPROVISE! They used an alternate fuel source – buffalo chips! Here are 02 quotes from 02 journals by Mrs. George Donner: “Wood is now very scarce, but buffalo chips are excellent; they kindle quickly and heat surprisingly.” “There is no longer wood here, and our women and children are out gathering buffalo chips to burn, in order to do the cooking. These chips burn well.”

27 June 1846, the Reed – Donner Party reached Fort Laramie near the Rocky Mountains 01-week behind schedule. James Reed wanted to make-up for the several days lost. He had a copy of Hastings The Emigrant’s Guide To Oregon and California and knew about the Hastings Cut-Off. Reed met an old friend named James Clyman (mountain man) who just used the Hastings Cut-Off travelling eastward from California.

Reed asked Clyman’s advice about using the Hastings Cut-Off. Clyman told him NOT to take the Hastings Cut-Off because the wagons wouldn’t make it. He told him about the steep terrain ahead and the killer deserts. Like Fremont (see January 1844), Reed was smart to do a live RECON (PRSC), but wasn’t wise enough to take Clyman’s advise.

17 July 1846, the wagons began climbing the Great Continental Divide – the Rocky Mountains. At South Pass a horseman brought an open letter with the address: “At the Headwaters of the Sweetwater: To all California Emigrants now on the Road.”

The letter told of the war between the Unites States and Mexico warning of Mexican attacks. It also told the immigrants of a new and better route south of the Great Salt Lake. The author of the note would meet them at Fort Bridger which was east the Great Salt Lake and guide them. Fort Bridger was only a few days away.

The open letter was signed Lansford W. Hastings. The pioneers already knew of Hastings and the Hastings Cut-Off. The letter, the book in their possession, The Emigrant’s Guide To Oregon and California, and Hastings himself held a lot of trusting credibility among the pioneers. Even on page 37 of the book it read “…most direct route, for the California emigrants…”, compelled them to take the Hastings Cut-Off.

The pioneers could take the bragged about Hastings Cut-Off or take the already established and proven trail towards Fort Hall even though it was longer than the Hastings Cut-Off. The choice where the trail branched-off was 200 miles east of Fort Hall and still more than 1,000 miles from their destination.

20 July 1846, 200 miles east of Fort Hall, near Sandy River, the wagons of families said their good-byes and went their separate ways. One group turned right and took the proven and established route towards Fort Hall. The Reed – Donner Party with their 20 wagons and 87 members turned left and took the west southwest route toward Fort Bridger to meet the famous Hastings focused on the Hastings Cut-Off.

21 July 1846, the Reed – Donner Party voted on a captain, the majority of the votes went to George Donner. Many of the pioneers disliked Reed because of his aristocratic ways.

28-31 July 1846, the Donner Party reached Fort Bridger looking forward to meet the famous Hastings and lead them to California on his shorter and faster route – the Hastings Cut-Off, but he wasn’t there. He already left a week earlier with another set of wagons. The Donner Party stayed at Fort Bridger resting their horses and making repairs.

31 July 1846, the Donner Party left Fort Bridger. They were now on the Hastings Cut-Off, the famous Hastings Cut-Off that was supposed to save them 350-400 miles. The Hastings Cut-Off was supposed to be a level trail with plenty of water.

06 August 1846, on the trail at the bottom of Each Canyon, the Donner Party came to a note written by Hastings himself. The note stated that the trail ahead was impassible.

Hastings said to wait and he’d return to show them a better way. James Reed left the Donner Party in- search of Hastings. Reed found Hastings 05-days later, but Hastings refused to come back. Reed returned to the Donner Party and they were on their own. Making their own trail, movement was slow, very slow. Their slow travel cost them almost a month till they finally reached the Great Salt Lake. Those many days set them back and it would cost them.

27 – 30 August 1846, the Party finally reached the Great Salt Lake. They came upon another note by Hastings warning them of desert ahead. They loaded up with water & grass and began their travel through the desert on 30 August 1846.

02 September 1846, the water was gone. The travel was extremely difficult. That evening, the oxen of the Reed’s wagon went crazy with thirst and bolted off. The desert nights were bitterly cold as compared to the daytime temperatures.

03 September 1846, the Donner Party finally reached the edge and out of the desert. It took them 05 days to cross the desert and was twice as wide as Hastings said it was. The 80-mile trek cost them 36 oxen, almost killed many pioneers and wagons had to be abandoned. The Donner Party travel would now be even more difficult. They couldn’t return to Fort Bridger, they’d never make it back across the desert. They had no choice but to go ahead.

They took account of their provisions and realized they didn’t have enough for their journey. So they had to do something so they decided to send two riders (William McCutchen & Charles Stanton) ahead to get help and provisions. That night the hills turned white with snow.

26 September 1846, the Donner Party reached the Humboldt River where the Hastings Cut-Off met the old and proven trail that the other group took.

It turns out that the Hastings Cut-Off was not shorter and quicker, but was 125-miles longer and far more difficult than Hastings had bragged about.

05 October 1846 a man named John Snyder and James Reed fought to the death. Each day a different wagon would take their turns leading. On the next day the lead wagon from the day before would be rotated to the rear. On this day F.W. Graves led the wagon train followed by Jay Fosdick, with John Snyder 3rd, and Milton Elliott driving the wagon of James Reed,… The wagons arrived at the foot of a steep hill.

In these cases, the wagons would be doubled-up (double oxen). Elliott and Snyder argued while Fosdick attached his team to the lead team of Graves and pulled the wagon uphill. Meantime Snyder cussed while beating his cattle over the head with his whip-stock (handle of whip).

Snyder’s team became entangled with Reed’s team. Enraged even more Snyder cussed and beat his oxen. Reed off hunting just returned to see Snyder beating the oxen. Reprimanding Snyder and offering assistance, but Snyder was on fire. Turns out both men had a hot personality but Reed knew better and wisely said ‘let’s settle it on the hill’ but Snyder returned with ‘let’s settle it now’ and struck Reed with his whip-stock followed by a 2nd and 3rd strike. Bleeding, Reed’s wife intervened between them and Snyder raised his hand for another strike to Mrs. Reed and down it came striking Mrs. Reed in the head and shoulder.

At his wife’s defense Snyder staggered back – Reed embedded his knife into Snyder below his collar bone. Snyder fell and Reed blinded by his own blood went to Snyder’s aid. They were good friends before this tragedy. Snyder died in 15 minutes with Reed by his side. He told Patrick Breen “Uncle Patrick, I am dead.”

The death of Snyder hit the other pioneers hard. They disliked Reed because he was rich. Being out in the wilderness, the Reed-Donner Party were the law, the judge, the jury, and the executioner. They voted and actually sentenced Reed to death by hanging even though he killed Snyder in self-defense for his wife and himself but one pioneer persuaded them to vote banning Reed from the wagon train instead of a hanging. Reed objected the banning, but the pioneers were armed and wouldn’t hear of it.

Reed’s wife persuaded him to leave and go find help and meet them on the trail in the mountains ahead. On 06 October 1846 off he went on his horse. Later, friend(s) caught up to him and gave him a weapon, ammunition, and some crackers from loved ones. On the trail, Reed left notes for his loved ones till there were none. The Reed family feared he was dead. Time was now against them.

The Donner Party had to beat the snows before they covered the pass. They paralleled the Humboldt River as fast as they could, fearing the early winter snow that would cut-off their only way to California and trap them in the mountains without and provisions and prevent rescue. They had to beat the snow.

Their fear and panic of their situation surfaced; on 07 October 1846, an elderly man named Hardcoop was thrown out of the Kesberg wagon, nobody would pick him up. He tried to walk and keep up with the Donner Party but he fell back. The last anyone saw of him, he was sitting on the side of the trail.

12 October 1846, the Donner Party lost more oxen. That night, the Paiute Indians shot poison arrows into 21 oxen. The Paiutes laughed at their killings. The clouds over the mountains to the west showed signs of winter weather. The pioneers feared the worst. Some wanted to keep going while others wanted to rest the oxen.

19 October 1846, Stanton returned with 07 mules loaded with provisions and 02 Indian guides. The Donner Party’s hopes rose greatly especially at the news that the snows wouldn’t come for another month. They were quite happy, they could feel California. They camped and rested for 05-days before their push through the mountains.

23 October 1846, the rested Donner Party departed their camp. They were 50-miles from the summit (top).

28-31 October 1846, James Reed, who was banned from the Donner Party on 05 October 1846, dragged his almost dead body into Sutter’s Fort.

Begging and demanding supplies, horses,… to rescue the Donner Party. Captain Sutter generously gave Reed, mules, horses, flour, beef jerky, and a couple Indians.

On 31 October 1846, Reed set out to rescue the Donner Party. 03 days later, Reed was forced to return. Requesting more supplies and men, Captain Sutter had none to offer for all able men were off fighting the Mexicans who just overran the city of Los Angeles and another major city.

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Donner Party 1^st Weather Forecasting Technique: 31 October 1846, the axle of George Donner’s wagon broke. Cutting timber to fix it, George cut his hand. The remaining Donner Party pushed-on towards the summit with George and his family catching up.

That evening John Breen wrote in his diary “…it was sundown. The weather was clear but a large circle around the moon indicated an approaching storm.”

Let’s pause for a second. Let me tell you about “Halo” weather forecasting trick and here’s a quote from one of my Newsletters: A halo around the sun or moon means that cirrostratus clouds made up of ice crystal (potential precipitation) may indicate snow or rain depending the time of year. The brighter the halo around the sun or moon the greater probability of snow or rain. With a halo, there is a 66% chance that it will rain or snow within 12 to 18 hours! John Breen saw that halo around the moon – guess what happened?

That very night it began to snow. That morning on 01 November 1846, the Donner Party in panic made a bolt for the pass but the higher up they got, the deeper the snow. They were met with up to 05-feet of snow. The trail disappeared, the steep trail slick, the wagons – oxen couldn’t climb. They were only 150-miles from Sutter’s Fort, California.

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Donner Party 2^nd Weather Forecasting Technique: Let’s pause one more time before we continue. The Donner Party and multiple Relief Parties made many fires. Could they have used their fires as a weather forecasting technique? How about you? Using smoke (campfire) as a weather forecaster?

Here’s a partial quote from one of my Newsletters: “Smoke is always around (outdoor adventures) because we use fires to cook our food, warm us and you might even see it coming from those nasty smoke stacks that pollute the environment. Here are some proven techniques to use smoke to predict the weather.

According to the Scientific Society of Rochdale England who kept a record of smoke observations – smoke may have weather predictive capabilities. The study comes from smoke rising from chimneys.

For example, when smoke rose vertically into the air it indicated out of a 50-day record keeping period that 42 of those days were fine days while only 6 were wet days. Now if the smoke rising out of that chimney were just hanging around (humidity) it indicated that the wet days outnumbered the dry days 21 to 6.” And the same question applies: Could they (Donner Party) have used their fires as a weather forecasting technique? How about you? OK, let’s get back to the Donner Party.

02-29 November 1846, the Donner Party wisely retreated down to Trukee Lake to make a winter camps. They came more than 2,500 hard miles and 07-months of travel to miss their chance by 01 single day!

Beginning to make their winter camp, the snow fell and continued to fall and the temperatures dropped. The Donner Party now consisted of 81 people (25 men, 15 women, and 41 children). They made their 02 separate winter camps. The 1st camp near Trukee Lake, the Breen’s were camped near in an abandoned cabin. Louis Kesberg built a lean-to shelter on the side of the Breen cabin.

The Eddy’s, Fosters, Murphy’s, and Pikes huddled into a quick-built cabin nearby. Another quickly built cabin nearby sheltered the Graves and the Reed family. The 2nd camp which left the Donner’s behind (broken axle & cut hand), were sheltered in tents 06-miles from the main encampment.

As days passed the Donner Party killed their oxen to eat. Other animals were lost in the snow, never seen again. Their food eventually ran out and they began eating twigs, bark, bones, rawhide, leaves,…

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The Forlorn Hope!

15 December 1846, Balis Reed (hired help) was the 1st of the Donner Party to die of mal-nutrition. The Donner Party decided to make another attempt to the summit. They made attempts before, but this one was better planned, better equipped (snow shoes) and probably their last chance to get help. 15 of the strongest members of the Donner Party (09 men, 05 women, and a boy) – called The Forlorn Hope headed out to the summit.

The drifts were 20-feet deep. They each took 06-days of meager – starvation rations.

On 17 December 1846 they reached the summit. On 21 December Eddy wanted to lighten his backpack load and found a 1/2 pound of bear meat that his wife sneaked in his pack. He kept this treasure to himself. On 22 December, their food ran out. Stanton, the one who brought back supplies (19 October) was exhausted and blind from the bright sun and the glaring snow.

He couldn’t go any further. He calmly sat down and smoked his pipe. Mary Graves asked him ‘are you coming?’, Stanton calmly replied “I am coming soon.” They hoped to see him catch-up but that’s the last they remember him. On 24 December, the remaining 14 of The Forlorn Hope were lost in the maze of thousands of white-covered -mountains, valleys, ridges,… all covered with brilliant white snow.

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Cannibalism!

On 24 December 1846, The Forlorn Hope stopped and luckily made a fire. They ate nothing for 03 days and even when they had food, it was a starvation diet. They cussed Hastings, he was the blame for their misery. Knowing they were dying, they all had the same idea – cannibalism. Patrick Dolan suggested they draw lots from paper. The one who drew the longest paper would die and be eaten.

Patrick Dolan himself drew the longest slip but no one had the heart to kill him. Suddenly their fire blew out. The bitterly cold temperature dropped even more, the snow came down, and the wind blew without unforgiving mercy. They cussed Hastings and his Hasting’s Cut-Off.

Antonio (hired help) died first. He lay right next to fire still alive, still alive his hand flopped in the fire but he didn’t wake-up. His hand curled-up. Eddy in his severely weakened state grabbed the burning hand and drew it out of the fire.

Immediately Antonio’s hand flopped in the fire again. This time Eddy just watched as Antonio’s hand burned charcoal black in the fire while he was still alive. Antonio died that night a short time later followed by Franklin Graves, followed by Dolan, followed by the boy Lynne Murphy.

The snow stopped and the fire was lit. The flesh was cut from Dolan’s legs and arms and roasted over the fire. The Forlorn Hope survivors cried while they ate their friend’s life-saving human meat. The only members of The Forlorn Hope that didn’t eat the human meat immediately were Salvador and Louis, the 02 Indian guides and Eddy but a day or so later the 02 Indians ate the human flesh.

Eddy was the only holdout. The Forlorn Hope, then cut, wrapped, and marked the other dead members. The human meat was marked so no one would eat meat of a family member. On one occasion, Mrs. Foster saw her brothers heart being roasted over the fire which was ate by the others.

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Donner Party Fire Pit: The Forlorn Hope, had one serious problem with their fire. With all that deep snow, their fire would sink, turn to mush, turn to water and snuff out the fire. A few had the mind to gather some logs, set them on their ends and use this as a foundation for their fire platform and it worked!

Now there was no way their life-warming fire could go out now. They huddled around it keeping warm. Then one of the Indians in his weakened state got up to join the group and stumbled into the stilts and the fire went out. There was grumbling but Eddy saved them all from the unforgiving killer cold.

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Donner Party Emergency Shelter: Eddy laid a couple blankets on the snow then had everybody sit on the blanket in a tight circle facing each other. He then placed the remaining blankets on top of the sitting members forming an enclosed tent. Eddy then entered the shelter completing the circle. The falling snow covered the blanket tent giving it more insulation and more protection for the survivors from the killer cold, snow, and wind chill. Eddy probably learned this life-saving emergency shelter trick from a mountain man. With this shelter, he saved everyone’s life to include his own. This camp was called the Camp of Death because of the cannibalism that too place.

On 03 January 1847, the human meat ran out and the pioneers talked of killing and eating the 02 Indians, the Indians with Stanton (now deceased) that helped save them (19 October 1846). William Eddy alerted the Indians of their plan and both Indians disappeared into the white wilderness. 04 January, Eddy and Mrs. Graves set out with the other lagging behind.

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Donner Party Blood Food: Eddy saw a deer and with a few attempts it took everything he had just to hold the rifle up to aim. He finally settled by holding the weapon up and dropping it lining up the sights of the dropping weapon on the deer and firing at the deer – POW! He knew he hit it cause the deer not only jumped straight up a couple feet but its short tail dropped straight down between its legs. Eddy and Mrs. Graves pursued the deer for 02-hundred yards.

Eddy came upon the deer, grabbed its horns while it struggled and cut its throat. Both Eddy and Mrs. Graves hungrily sucked-up the warm blood spurting and flowing from the deer’s neck. Their faces were covered with deer blood from their warm liquid meal.

They rested, built a fire, then roasted some of the deer’s innards (liver, heart,…). That night, Eddy fired some “we’re OK” shots to the others. Fosdick heard the shots and said “There! Eddy has killed a deer. Now, if I can only get to him, I shall live.”

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Donner Party Human Food: Fosdick died that night and the next day in front of Mrs. Fosdick, Mrs. Foster cut-off Fosdicks legs and arms, cut-out his innards (hear, liver,…) and began roasting them – cooking Mr. Fosdick’s body in front of everybody. With this new food (venison and human flesh), they were still a pitiful sight of rescuers but still alive.

On 08 January 1847, The Forlorn Hope suffered immensely since they left their comrades on 15 Dec 1846. Their rescue mission was now a mission to save themselves. They were not the same gentle people that left Springfield, IL almost a year ago (16 April 1846). The Forlorn Hope came across a blood trail and followed it.

They found the 02 evading Indians still alive and laying weak in the snow almost next to each other. Foster went up to Luis told him he was going to die and then shot him in the head. Foster then walked over to Salvador, allowed him to pray then shot him in the head. Both Indians were badly needed nourishment to the already walking dead of The Forlorn Hope.

The other members kept their distance so to insure they weren’t part of these necessary murders. After these murders, nobody but Foster’s own daughters camped with him. Not only did they keep their distance, they kept an eye on him, they didn’t trust him. The Forlorn Hope now consisted of 07 – Eddy, Mrs. Graves, Mrs. McCutchen, Mrs. Fosdick, Mr. Foster, Mrs. Foster and their daughter.

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Donner Party Grass Food: 09 January 1847, The Forlorn Hope kept going in search for help. They saw a lot of deer but were so severely weak, they couldn’t even bring their weapons up and hold them to take steady aim. The snow started to give way and some of them ate grass to sustain them.

Let’s pause for second. I want to tell you about the sustaining food of grass and grass seed (called rice by some Indian tribes). Here’s a quote from one of my Newsletters: During WWII in England when food was getting scarce, according to Professor D.B. Johnstone‑Wallace of Cornell University: “England is prepared to use grass for food if supplies run low.” Even eating it himself, he stated “Green grass is nutritious and taste really fine.”

13 January 1847, The Forlorn Hope, were mentally exhausted, mentally delirious, physically torn down to nothing, they were beyond malnutrition, feet swollen & bleeding from multiple frostbites – every step was pain,… they were walking skeletons covered in blood, with rags for clothes.

Eddy who had the 1/2 pound of hidden bear meat finally ate a hand to sustain him. The grass helped but he needed more, he was the leader of the group and was more physically active than the others. If it wasn’t for Eddy, they’d all be already dead.

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Donner Party Life-Saving Nuts: The Forlorn Hope weakly continued on. They were so weak, to just step over a downed log, they had to roll over it! The last few days they came across a few Indian tribes and they didn’t care if they were hostile or not. Some tribes felt pity for the ragged group and did in fact help them with navigation, and food (raw acorns, prepared acorn meal loafs). On 17 January 1847, the chief of one Indian village gave Eddy a handful of pine nuts! After eating them, Eddy “felt wonderfully refreshed!”

Let’s pause again. Here’s a quote from one of my Newsletters: “As a matter of fact 01-pound of pinon nuts contains a whopping 3,000 calories! Pinyon nuts are found in the western United States (Colorado and westward) at elevations of between 4,000 to 7,500 feet. And they’re easy to get – just pick em’ up off the ground by the handful during the fall and early winter!

Different tribes of American Indians gathered the calorie‑rich nut. And some tribes like the Navajos traded the fat-rich pinyon nuts for much needed supplies from distant Indian tribes to the east that had no access to them. Pinyon nuts (white in color and almost the size of a kernel of corn), could be eaten as they are or roasted so they last a long time like during the winter months.”

In my humble opinion, those pine nuts probably saved everyone’s life for Eddy had a new strength. Foster and the 05 women couldn’t go any further. They stopped dead in their tracks and Eddy went on!

17 January 1847, at about an hour before sundown, in the Sacramento Valley, William Eddy being aided by one then two Indians reached Johnson’s Ranch of several make-shift cabins where the Ritchie’s cabin was located. The others were several miles (06-10) up the trail. Immediately Eddy was put in a bed and cared for while 04 riders set-off with the 02 Indians following Eddy’s blood trail to find the other 06 up the trail.

The other 06 were found about midnight that night and were finally brought to the settlement on the night of 18 January. Other riders set-off to spread the word that the Donner Party were still alive! The Forlorn Hope accomplished their mission! Of the 15 that started their trek to find help on 15 December 1846, only 02 men and 05 women survived their trek to find help.

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Meanwhile Back At The Camp!

21 December 1846, meanwhile back at the camp, 04 members of the Donner Party had perished. They were Jacob Donner, Joseph Reinhart, Sam Scumacher, James Smith and more were dying and all were near death.

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Donner Party Hide, Bones, Pet, Rug,… Food: The month of December, most of the Donner Party stayed in their makeshift beds wrapped in blankets. The Donner Party were filthy, their bodies unwashed, their surroundings unkept, and hide and bones boiling in kettles. Their beef from their oxen didn’t last.

One family (Breen) ate their pet for needed food. Everything was eaten – everything and it lasted them a week. The entire Donner Party were all so weak, even the babies were near death and too weak to even cry. The snow kept them contained in their shelters. Breen recorded in his diary that on the 13 December the snow was 08-feet deep and was 09-feet deep by 27 December 1846.

They boiled bones till they turned the water color for soup. Boiling the bones even more they softened so to eat them. The bones were also cooked brown over a fire and eaten. At the Murphy shelter, bit by bit, they actually ate a fireplace rug. They took small pieces of it, cooked them over the fire and ate the small pieces. Eventually the entire rug was eaten.

At the Donner camp several miles away, the cattle were long gone, lost during the snow storms. They ate mice when they could get them. They even tried eating an old tough and moldy buffalo robe.

04 January 1847, the valiant Mrs. Reed, Eliza Donner, Milt (servant), Virginia Reed, set-off to find help. They left with nothing more than the clothes on their back and survival rations of dried beef. The next day Eliza turned back, the bitterly cold weather convinced her to turn back while the others went on. After the 3rd night after being lost, facing bitterly cold weather, deep snow, no food, crawling on hands and knees and frostbite, the 03 heroes turned back to the camp.

On 08 January 1847, carrying Virginia, they finally arrived at their camp. And just in time too for a 5th storm hit the Sierra Nevada bringing more imprisoning killer snow on the Donner Party. Their movement was minimal, the snow contained them. Even getting firewood was a tremendous chore.

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Donner Party Praying Hope: 13 January 1847, Breen’s diary recorded the snow was 13 feet deep! Wood was taken from the interior of their cabin for firewood. The Reeds moved in with the Breens. The Breen cabin housed 15 survivors. Most just layed in one spot, and others like the Catholic Breen family prayed.

Frost bitten Virginia Reed was so touched by their religious devotion that she vowed that if she survived, she would become catholic. The Breen diary recorded the daily weather and also a persistent optimism.

The Breen diary demonstrated – reflected that while in under the extreme conditions of an imprisoned isolation of freezing snow, without food, without medical aid and without a hint of rescue, the Donner Party acted civilized and never gave up hope of a rescue. They did their best to survive the impossible under impossible conditions.

Everything that could go wrong went wrong so far. From the fatal decision to take the Hastings Cut-Off caused them days of delay, the fight to the death between Reed & Snyder, the long overlay after Stanton and the 02 Indians resupplied them, the trek through the desert that almost killed them, caused the loss of oxen & wagons, and delayed them even more, the snow storm that repelled their push over the pass by 01 day, the several storms that followed and imprisoned them and had their oxen (food) scatter, the loss of life for The Forlorn Hope and it wasn’t over yet.

05-07 February 1847, the 1st Relief Party was dispatched to rescue the Donner Party. On 07 February, Reed led the 2nd Relief Party.

19 February 1847, the 1st Relief Party finally reached the Donner Party. The Relief Party witnessed 12 bodies laid about on the snow, their bodies wasted away and the still live survivors didn’t look much better. Some had gone mad, and all were sickly and looked of death of malnutrition. Some cried and others gone mad laughed hysterically. The relief party gave them small rations but nothing big for it could kill them but the survivors begged for more food.

The exhausted 07 men of the rescue party rested that night but still left a guard to insure the surviving Donner members didn’t steal supplies for the return journey. 20 February, the rescue party witnessed the tragedies of the Donner Party.

There were bodies everywhere. Some bodies were used as food and also used as part of the ceiling to block cold air and snow. The rescuers noted that the Donner Party were mentally unbalanced. Some being so close to death prayed continuously, while others cussed both Hastings and God Almighty for their undeserving misery. The rescue party noticed that some were broken down so much they neither cared about themselves, their Donner peers or the life-saving rescuers.

Some rescuers went to the Donner tents several miles away to retrieve the 06 survivors there; not necessarily to depart with them but to account for everyone dead or alive and decide who would depart with the 1st Relief Party and who would stay.

The Donner Party members still had the mental capacity to decide who would stay and who would leave with the 1st Relief Party. Eventually 23 (03 men, 04 women, and 17 children) were chosen to leave with the 1st Relief Party.

22 February 1847, the 1st Relief Party departs with 23 Donner Party survivors enroute to Johnson’s Ranch. They had to beat the next storm or be repelled back like the Donner Party.

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“Most heroic acts I have ever heard of … brought tears”

Donner Party Little Hero: One of the most heroic acts I have ever heard actually teared my eyes was that of little 08-year old Patty Reed. Patty Reed and Thomas Reed with their mother left with the 1st relief party. Little 03-year old Tommy was struggling through the deep snow, he couldn’t keep up but he tried with all his little heart for a few miles. He’d never make it.

The only thing to do was to return Tommy to the camp. To have the entire 1st relief with the 23 Donner Party members return to camp was suicide. There weren’t enough supplies, plus they had to beat the next storm or be cut-off and isolated exactly like the Donner Party.

His big sister 08-year old Patty wanted to stay with Tommy and help care for her baby brother and returned with him under an escort. She told her mother “Well Ma, if you never see me again, do the best that you can.”

23 February 1847, the 1st Relief went on. Enroute they found supplies that they suspended from a tree were destroyed by wild animals. It turns out that a wild animal(s) knawed through the rawhide to get to the food supplies. Glover’s (in-charge) Relief Party depended on those supplies.

24 February 1847, upon finding their 1st cache destroyed, 04 men took off to get to their 2nd bundle of food. Going about 01 mile an Englishman named Denton went snowblind. He courageously instructed that they leave him and they go forward, they had to get to the cache of food. Before they left, they built Denton a fire, gathered firewood, and left him with a blanket. They figured he was dead in this bitter cold. On they went. That night the 03 built a campfire, the same one built by Eddy and The Forlorn Hope – Donner Party Fire-Pit as previously mentioned. Three days later the 03 rescuers married-up with the 1st relief with barely enough meat for everyone. They had some bad news, they never contacted the 2nd Relief led by Reed.

On 27 February 1847, the 1st Relief headed out. Some of the children could no longer walk and had to be carried. The 1st Relief Party and the severely weak Donner Party members – the children and adults were strung-out along the cold trail that was an obstacle of deep snow.

Four miles into their journey they met the 2nd Relief Party of 07 men led by James F. Reed (banned from the Donner Party on 05 October 1846). They were on foot because they sent back their pack mules. At the foothills, they bogged down under the mud. The 2nd Relief Party took-up heavy packs but eased their heave packs by leaving 02 caches behind them. James Reed and family members finally met. Their overwhelming love and joy to finally see each other could not be described.

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Starvation, Overeating And Extreme Frostbite!

As the 2nd Relief Party closed-in, a unanimous cry of “Bread bread bread” could be heard along the long line of starving Donner members especially the children.

Donner Party Overeating To Death: To satisfy their cry for food, most of the night before, Reed baked bread and made sweet cakes. It was insured only small portions of food were given to the Donner members for too much too quickly could kill them. Like William Hook who climbed the tree that night to get to the suspended bundle of food.

He ate to his stomach’s content. The next morning, he died on his knees and elbows with his face in the snow just outside the camp perimeter. They took the biscuits and beef jerky from his pockets and buried him just underneath the snow.

Another casualty was William Murphy, not overeating but serious frostbite. His feet were painfully swelled-up, swelled-up so much his shoes had to be cut-off to relieve the continuous agony. At cutting off his shoes his feet swelled even more.

He couldn’t go on and was left there with another man keeping company with Hook’s dead body. Murphy knew if he stayed he’d surely die so he decided to walk barefooted! Walk barefooted he did for 02 days until he reached Mule Springs. An outstanding act of fortitude and determination from one who was already near death.

The casualties weren’t exclusive to Donner party members. The multiple Relief Parties also took casualties. All suffered from exhaustion, and some lost their toes to frostbite, some were crippled for life.

Some rescuers refused to go forward unless they were paid more. Some were paid up to $5 a day and that was BIG BUCKS back in them days! Some got $50 bonuses for each child they carried out! A partial relief party was suicidal so they got their money from Sutter or the US Government or by donations.

01 March 1847, 03 men from the 2nd Relief Party acted as an advanced party. An unintentional navigational marker – they found the hero John Denton (see 24 February 1847), who instructed that he be left behind. John was found like they left him a week before. John gave his life for the rescue of the Donner members.

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More Cannibalism To Survive!

The 03 men of the advanced party and main body finally reached the Donner Camp. At this point, the 2nd Relief Party found walking skeletons, some were insane. One woman cried then laughed crazily, then cried,… Some were so far gone they just lay there, they had no strength to get up. Little Tommy Reed was safeguarded by his brave sister Patty (see 22 February 1847).

When James F. Reed fist saw his boy, he was shocked to see a skeleton of a boy. Tommy kept asking his Dad about his mother (Patty). He called his sister Patty, his mother because he actually thought she was his mother.

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Donner Party More Human Food: Most of the remaining Donner Party members at the camp also turned to eating a pet dog and to cannibalism to survive. There was no other food. Remember Milt Elliott (04 January 1847), Milt was found outside the Murphy cabin.

The flesh was stripped from the entire body. The head and face were kept intact. Bones and half-eaten body parts were found in the cabin. The stench in the cabin was so bad the 2nd Relief Party slept outside that night.

The next day 02 March 1847, Reed and 03 other rescuers travelled to the Donner tents several miles away. Remember the Donner’s were left behind to catch-up, they were caught in the same snow storm as the other remaining Donner Party. Closing in on the Donner tents, they saw Jean Baptiste dragging a full human leg.

When he saw the men, he threw the leg into a hole where the Jacob Donner lay. His head was cut off and set aside. Both legs and arms were cut off, his body opened with the heart, liver,… removed. The rescuers came upon children sitting on a log. The children’s state of mind and physical condition were severely critical.

They paid no attention to the rescuers – it’s like they were never there. The rescuers saw their little faces and top clothes covered in blood as they ate the heart and liver of Jacob Donner.

In one of the Donner tents (Jacob Donner), there was human hair, bones, and pieces of half-eaten human limbs. Elizabeth Donner (wife of Jacob Donner) lay on the floor near death. She refused to eat her own husband for life-giving food.

The rescuers had to temporarily separate themselves from the sight of this horrible death camp. It was too much for them. They walked out in the snow just to get away from it for several minutes. The rescuers then went to George Donner’s Tent. There they found Tamsen Donner, and her 03 little daughters. George Donner lay on the floor consumed with infection from when he cut his hand trying to repair the broken axle (see 31 October 1846). The infection worked its way from his hand all the way to his shoulder. George was completely incapacitated.

The rescuers did what they could for the survivors but they couldn’t stay long for more winter storms were on the way. The plan was to evacuate every available survivor that could walk or be carried. But not everybody could go, a 3rd Relief Party led by Woodworth was on the way to rescue the remaining Donner Party members.

03 March 1847, the 2nd Relief Party departed the Donner Camp. Reed had second thoughts for he might of bit off more than he could chew but his heart was in the right place. The adults and especially the children were extremely weak and all had trouble walking. Most of the children had to be carried.

The movement was slow, too slow. The stragglers were spread out long along the trail and constant help was provided by the rescuers. But there was hope for the pitiful looking survivors for Woodsworth of the 3rd Relief Party should be on his way to the Donner Camp. They should meet along the trail.

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Donner Party Overlapping Rescue Parties: From my research, it isn’t stated so but I assume the multiple Relief Parties were designed to overlap each other dodging the storms. The Relief Parties main mission was to rescue the Donner Party members and give aid if necessary to the previous Relief Party. I’d say that was a brilliant overall plan for the rescue resources they had in them days.

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Donner Party Intersection Firepit: That night they built a different type of firepit that may have come from well-experienced mountainmen. They cut and put 02 pairs of green logs on the snow as a foundation. The 02 pairs of logs formed a big cross. At the intersection of the logs they built a fire.

At the 04 arms of the logs, they spread pine branches to lay on and stay off the cold snow and at the same time be near the fire to keep warm.

04 March 1847 they continued on but covered only a few miles. The weather was in their favor but Reed knew it wouldn’t last, another winter storm is due anytime now. Clouds were starting to pile-up to the south and food was already low – they had about a day’s supply. No sign of Woodworth and the 3rd Relief Party.

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When Hot, Wet And Cold Weather Meet It Means Killer Trouble!

Let’s pause real quick and talk about them clouds moving in from the south as recorded by a Donner Party member. Listen folks, when you have warm moist air (clouds) coming off the Gulf of Mexico or from Central – South America, those huge thick clouds are carrying TREMENDOUS AMOUNTS OF MOISTURE! No big deal uh?

But in the winter months, that warm moist air will meet that cold air over North America (in this case the Sierra Nevada), and that means killer trouble and HUGE AMOUNTS OF SNOW! The winter storms of 1846 – 1847 was the worst winter in recorded history. That winter, 09 winter storms – 09 winter storms, (some non-stop for days) one right after another pummelled, punished, tortured, crippled, killed,… the Donner Party and the rescuers of 05 Relief Parties.

As I stated before, Mother Nature and all She possesses (in this case snow storms) is more POWERFUL than all the nuclear weapons ever built or ever will be built! OK let’s get back to the Donner Party.

05 March 1847, that morning Reed ordered 03 men to go forward to a cache (15-miles) and bring back food. They had 02 forward caches. They couldn’t wait for Woodworth’s 3rd Relief Party, they needed food and needed it now. The mission of the 03 men was to go to the nearest cache and bring back food. If that cache was taken (hungry critters), they’d go to the next cache and bring back food.

They’d meet forward on the trail somewhere – bottom line bring back food to the 17 Donner Party survivors. All 03 men were experienced mountain-men and left with no food, the remaining 01-day starvation rations were for the Donner Party. The 03 men were experienced enough to take care of themselves – hopefully.

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Donner Party Life-Saving Fire: The night of 05 – 06 March, another killer winter storm let loose on the extremely fragile Donner Party and rescuers. They made camp in a place that offered no protection from the killer blizzard. They made the Donner Intersection Firepit (03 March 1847) and hunkered down. 06 – 07 March, all night long, Reed made a courageous effort, he was in perpetual motion providing fuel for the fire, and protection from the wind by piling-up pine branches for wind break.

Having 1st watch, Reed worked like a madman, like he was immune to the killer storm that blasted him every second he was working. In the dark hours, Reed finally succumbed to the killer cold, he not only went blind, he went into a coma.

Everyone else was asleep or trying to. The life-saving fire was no longer being fed fuel and went out and it went black. Somebody woke-up, then another, alerting others that the fire was out. Adults cried and prayed and children cried like they were praying to the winter storm. DEATH was so close.

If the fire wasn’t revived immediately, EVERYBODY was DEAD. Some of the adults were so demoralized, they took no action to re-start the fire, they just prayed with the others.

Miller and McCutchen hit their after-burners and like heroes, while fighting-off a far superior enemy of winter blast of super cold air and blinding snow, they went to work to re-start the fire. Miller was already half-frozen. When he grabbed the ax to cut wood, his hands literally cracked open splitting open his fingers.

McCutchen cussed while furiously working to revive the fire feeding the starving embers new fuel. He worked so hard and so close to the fire, all 04 shirts he was wearing were burnt through and through including his exposed skin on his back which was also burnt. Once the fire got going, Miller and McCutchen found Reed unconscious in the snow. Near death, they brought him to the warming fire and began rubbing his limbs to get the circulation going.

Revived and conscious, Reed survived. The sun came up and the killer storm still raged on with no let up. The men continued to feed the fire.

08 March 1847, at approximately noon, the storm finally stopped. Little Isaac Donner lay dead. Everyone was starving, and Reed had to press on. The 04 rescuers departed with those that could walk or be carried. Battered Reed wanted to carry brave little Patty Reed but she refused, she wanted to walk to spare he father of her weight even though through starvation she was light as a feather as were the other children.

Breens & Graves family members (12) stayed behind, they were too far gone. They’d never make it. On they marched but little Mary Donner sleeping to close to the fire burnt the bottom of her feet. She began the march but had to return to the camp with the Breen and Grave families (13).

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Donner Party Crumbs Life-Saver: On the march, little Patty Reed finally succumbed in her severely weakened state. Hallucinating, little Patty saw heaven and she unknowingly told her father of angels. The march stopped and they gathered around little dying Patty. Wrapping her in a blanket, Reed took the last and only food they had left – he saved some crumbs – some crumbs in the thumb loop of his glove. He put the crumbs to his lips to moisten them, then placed them to little Patty’s lips. Miraculously, those crumbs revived little Patty!

Still wrapped in the blanket little Patty was carried by Reed on his back. And on they went. That night they made camp still hoping to see the 03 rescuers that went forward and still no sign of the 3rd Relief Party.

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Donner Party Frostbite Remedy: I was always taught that this was an incorrect method to remedy frostbite – maybe not. The night of 08 March, the rescuers feet were frostbitten. Most had no feeling in their toes. What they did was to remove their shoes and socks and submerged their feet in the snow thus “thawing them out”. Hey, those pioneers had some proven remedies for just about everything.

This method counterdicts modern day frostbite remedies. Most experts (I agree) state one thing you gotta do to prevent cold weather injuries to the extremities (feet, toes, hands, fingers) is to maintain circulation like massaging the area continuously. The Donner Party did this throughout their winter struggle in the Sierra Nevada.

At this time Reed’s 2nd Relief Party was in a mess. They had 03 men somewhere to the west of them looking for the 02 caches, behind them to the east they had 13 Donner Party members stranded – unfit to travel, and somewhere to the west between

Johnson’s Ranch and their location, the 3rd Relief Party was long overdue. What happened to the 03 advanced rescuers (Turner, Gendreau, & Dofar)?

What happened to Woodworth’s 3rd Relief Party? Many were experienced mountainmen. But Reed knew even experienced mountainmen met their match when it came to Mother Nature and all She possesses.

On 08 March 1847 (approximate date), the 03 rescuers from the 2nd Relief dragged themselves into Bear Valley where they were shocked to meet Woodworth’s 3rd Relief Party. The 3rd Relief Party were still in the foothills! The 03 rescuers from the 2nd Relief Party despite their knowledge and experience as mountainmen were whooped, “they had suffered almost as badly as greenhorns.”

Turner was frozen so badly that Gendreau & Dofar had to assist him forward. It turns out when they came to the 1st cache, birds (martins) ate it up (huge amount of chow for birds). Part of the 2nd cache was intact and Dofar hung it on a tree for Reed to find. By that afternoon about 3pm, 02 members of the 3rd Relief wanted to go right then and there (it gets dark about 5:30pm).

These 02 were courageous & heroic Donner Party members Eddy and Foster! They already got a good whoopin before, were close to death and now wanted 2nds – a 2nd whoopin to save their family members and friends! But Woodworth was too tired “from carrying his blanket” so they made camp.

That evening around the campfire, they heard “hallooning” noises in the cold distance. One man went forward to find Reed’s 2nd Advance Party “hallooning” back to other 2nd Relief Party members up the trail letting them know they found a campsite. They also found the 2nd cache. They didn’t realize that the 3rd Relief Party was nearby.

They were gathered and brought into the 3rd Relief’s Party campsite. The trail that the 2nd Relief Party and Donner Party members left behind was a trail of blood from severely frostbitten feet. As a matter of fact, most of the Donner Party travels while in the Sierra Nevada left trails of blood due to severely frozen feet.

That night courageous and heroic Eddy and Foster wanted to leave as soon as possible to rescue their family and friends. But the other rescuers had second thoughts after seeing the whoopins leveled on the well-experienced mountain men. They saw their fate, if they were lucky at best, they’d live with amputated toes and crippled for life.

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Cold Clear Sound!

Donner Party Cold Clear Sound: Let me pause again, it’s been my experience that sound travels more clearly and a lot farther in lower colder temperatures. I live about 09-miles (straight line distance) from Scott AFB. I can NEVER here the planes land and reverse their engines in the warmer months but can hear them in the colder months.

You want more proof? Natural evolutionary proof? Check out the critters in cold weather environments like polar bears. They got some small ears don’t they? They don’t need BIG ears to capture sound. Now look at critters in desert environments.

A lot of them desert critters have BIG ears (oversized for their head size) don’t they? They have to cause the sound doesn’t travel that good in higher temperature environments so they need them BIG ears to capture as much sound as possible (to capture prey & avoid being prey). OK, back to the Donner Party.

07 March 1847, Eddy, Foster Miller, and Thompson, the 3rd Relief Party set out at 4am for the Donner Camp. They moved fast, they reached the Donner Camp on 13 March. They learned of Keseberg who might have killed the child Georgie Foster. Eddy wanted to kill him. Keseberg already had a history of death at his hands.

He threw an elderly man named Hardcoop off his wagon to fend for himself (see 07 October 1846). Eddy decided not to kill him, not now, may be when they got to California. The 3rd Relief Party had to prepare to leave as soon as possible to avoid getting caught in another winter storm.

One problem facing the extra caring Tamsen Donner -leave with her 03 little girls or stay with George Donner who now had the spreading infection invading his shoulder. If she stayed with her husband George, there was a good chance that her 03 little daughters might be orphaned.

The 3rd Relief already knew and experienced the killer wrath of previous winter storms, they were veterans. They wanted to leave the Donner Camp and leave quick. Only 04 children were alive now and all would be carried, may be Georgia Donner could walk now and then. The Donner Party members left behind were brave Mrs. Murphy, caring Tamsen Donner, sickly George Donner and Keseberg which nobody liked or trusted.

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03 Donner Daughters Alone!

Let’s pause and go back in time a bit. When Reed, the 2nd Relief Party departed on 03 March 1847, he left 03 men to care for the remaining Donner members. He left Stone at the cabins near the lake and Cady and Clark at the Donner Tents. Tamsen Donner worried about her 03 little daughters (Frances-06, Georgia-05, & Eliza-03).

She paid Stone & Cady to deliver them to her half-sister at Sutter’s Fort. Tamsen dressed them in warm fancy clothing, combed their hair, and had them say their goodbyes to their unconscious father George Donner. The little girl’s heads were protected and covered by the matching hooded-bonnets. Tamsen spoke to them one last time and Stone and Cady took them away. After a short distance they stopped, went forward to talk. The 03 scared little girls huddled together comforted by brave Frances the oldest. Like little Patty Reed, they were all very brave, wise, & mature for their age especially after the last 10 months.

On 08 March 1847, Cady and Stone took them to the Murphy cabin and left them there – abandoned them. Cady and Stone then left for Johnson’s Ranch disobeying Reed’s orders. No rescuer from any Relief Party were under military or civilian jurisdiction. They were volunteers. They could honorably rescue the Donner Party members or cowardly think of themselves and abandon their duties. All but a few rescuers were very honorable and courageous men who’s admirational efforts will live forever and there were the few who lost the chance to be heroes and will never be admired (keep reading).

The only person caring for the 03 little ones was the elderly, half-blind Mrs. Murphy. The 3rd rescuer Clark was busy tracking bears which he eventually killed and dressed a cub. Later he visited the Murphy cabin and was scared for the lives of the 03 little Donner girls. He feared crazy Keseberg might kill and eat them.

Thank God, the 3rd Relief Party arrived to rescue and safe guard the 03 little Donner girls and little Simon Murphy. Now let’s get back on track. This sidetrack gives you a hint of near tragedies that were avoided by the arrival of the 3rd Relief Party. If they arrived any later, God knows what would have happened to the 03 defenseless little Donner girls and the little Murphy boy.

13 March 1847, at about noon, the 3rd relief party with 04 children were ready to depart. By that evening they were already at the bottom of the pass. There they found Baptiste and Clark who abandoned their responsibilities (the Donners) and set out on their own. Greedy Clark was carrying more than 40 pounds of silver coins. On 17 March 1847 they successfully reached Bear Valley with no deaths enroute. The 03 little Donner sisters and the Murphy boy survived the impossible of the impossible – thank Almighty God!

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What About The Stranded Breen Family?

Donner Party Heroes: On 08 March 1847, members of the Breen, Graves, and Mary Donner were left behind. They travelled very very slowly and were overtaken and joined by Reeds retreating 2nd Relief Party. John Starks the strongest in the group made an admirable effort to advance the crippled bunch. He often carried 02 children at once. He would carry children a short distance forward and return up the trail repeatedly to get the remaining others leaping-frogging westward. This movement was extremely slow but they were doing something. May be as they progressed their hope grew.

The leap frogging crippled group after meeting Reed and his group, were met with the fresh 3rd Relief Party led by Glover. Woodworth was there but was shamed into joining – he was no leader.

They wanted to go forward to retrieve the remaining 05 Donner Party members but Woodworth didn’t want to go. So the everybody moved onward to Bear Valley and days later to Johnson’s Ranch.

23 March 1847, a 4th Relief Party launched from Johnson’s Ranch led by Sheriff McKinstry. Woodworth was no longer part of any heroic rescue efforts. His name was Mudd (doctor of John W. Booth, assassin of Abraham Lincoln).

The 4th Relief Party included gallant men to include veteran and very honorable Donner Party men. They set out but were repelled back by the melting snow that bogged down their movement. They only got as far as Bear Valley.

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Donner Party More Heroes: 13 April 1847, a 5th Relief Party was put together. It was led by famous mountainman, a trapper, large size Irishman named O’Fallon. In his group he had ready and honorable and proven mountainmen of John Rhoads, Dan Tucker, Sels and Coffeemeyer.

He also had 02 veteran and courageous Donner Party veterans of Eddy and Foster. Departing on 13 April, they were to retrieve the remaining 05 Donner Party members of George, Tamsen, and Sammie Donner, Mrs. Murphy, and Keseberg. Plus, there was noted silver coins cached in the wagons. They could keep half of everything they carried.

Taking 10-days rations, they arrived at the cabins on 17 April 1847. The 5th Relief Party rescuers saw filth and death. Mutilated bodies and parts of bodies lay everywhere. They could find no survivors. Witnessing this was still a shock for veterans Foster and Eddy.

Suddenly one of the rescuers broke the eerie silence by shouting at 02 Indians rummaging and they ran off in such fright that they left their bows and arrows. Indians, this might mean remaining survivors were killed by Indians. The 07 rescuers spent 02-hours searching the cabins and area for survivors. Then they trekked to the Donner tents several miles away.

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New Horror At the Donner Camp!

On the way to the 02 Donner tents, they came upon fresh tracks heading in the same direction towards the Donner tents. The experienced mountain men discounted the tracks as being Indian. When they arrived at the Donner tents, they found Donner property spread out and thrown about all over.

They entered one tent and found a kettle with human flesh in it. They also found the body of George Donner wrapped in a sheet. They found that his head was split open and his brains removed. Where was his wife Tamsen? The sun was going to settle soon so they made camp. On 18 April 1847, the rescuers continued their search for survivors and began collecting valuables that could be taken back.

They wanted to know who left the tracks and where was all the money (silver & gold) cached by the Donners. On 19 April 1847, the rescuers continued their search, but 03 men set out to follow those tracks back towards the cabins. It led them to Keseberg in the cabin laying among human bones.

Beside him was a pan of liver. Keseberg related the days after the 2nd Relief Party departed. He said Mrs. Murphy died a week later. He lived in the cabin and about a week or so when Tamsen Donner came to the cabin relating that her husband George Donner died.

Keseberg stated Tamsen was in a craze wanting to see her children, she wanted to leave right away and head west for the pass. He put her to bed that night and when morning came Tamsen was dead. As to the status of missing Tamsen, according to the 03 rescuers, Keseberg told them “He eat her body and found her flesh the best he had ever tasted. He further stated, that he obtained from her body at least four pounds of fat!”

The 03 rescuers couldn’t figure how the strong Tamsen suddenly passed away. And what about all the Donner money? They asked Kesberg about it but he gave confused answers. Did Kesberg murder Tamsen and hide all the money? They continued their questions and even threatened to hang Kesberg but he stuck to his innocent stories. Kesberg finally revealed a cache of $273. Foster went into the Murphy cabin and found the body of the young Murphy boy already dead for 03 months and the remnants of Mrs. Murphy.

22 April 1847, the 5th Relief Party with Kesberg departed the Donner Camp enroute to a link-up point to meet horses located in Bear Valley.

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Can You Imagine?

Can you imagine the hardships taken on by the Donner Party?
Can you imagine their Will To Survive?
Can you imagine their great despair, yet they persevered?
Can you imagine being so deprived?
Can you imagine yourself in their shoes?
Can you imagine your little ones in their shoes?
Can you imagine yourself abandoning the 03 little Donner sisters (God I hope not)?

Of all the research I have ever done, the Donner Party and all they went through for themselves, each other and the especially the little ones, this research touched my heart deeply. I never or very rarely dream, but many nights throughout last December (2000) – this January (2001) I was restless and would wake-up many times during the night.

Even though I couldn’t remember any dream or anything, I knew the plight of the Donner Party weighed heavy on my mind especially the hardships of the children, especially brave Patty Reed and the brave little Donner sisters.

I hope this research touches your heart 1/10th as it did mine and maybe you can learn from their mistakes and their life-saving survival tricks so you’re ready Anytime Anywhere!

Some Donner Party members had diaries. It’s also a good idea to keep a daily log of events not only for historical records but for civil & criminal proceedings (survivors have been known to commit serious crimes). Knowing a log is kept could deter crimes that can easily surface in an isolated survival environment.

As for brave little Patty Reed, she survived and lived a long life to age of 93. She died in 1931 and is no doubt in heaven with most of the Donner Party. By the way, the Reed family was the only family that survived intact and did not partake in cannibalism. I wanted to go into faults about this tragedy and give remedies but this story – the research really touched my heart.

The bravery and heroics was beyond exceptional. The toughness, courage, and bravery of little Patty Reed, the little Donner sisters especially touched me. The main fault is of James F. Reed not following the warnings of the mountain man Clyman. Mountain Man Clyman told him NOT to use the Hasting’s Cut-Off. Reed did do a RECON (PRSC) but failed to follow through with it. More than half the Donner Party survived the freezing cold.

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MOST IMPORTANT NOTE: Now that you read & viewed ‘Donner Party survival and survival tricks.’ – You’re Ready Anytime Anywhere. However, before you go out on your next outdoor adventure, please re-read “How To Plan Your Outdoor Adventure!”

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donner party survival and survival tricks