The Donner Party Essay, Research Paper

Forty-six subsisters out of an original 87, reached California starvation,

tired, and traumatized for life from the experience they had merely been

through. A twelvemonth of agony was spent on a clip that was thought to hold

been merely a few months of easy going on a cutoff routed by a adult male named

Lance Hatings.

The journey began on May 12th from Springfield Illinois. A train of nine

waggons, filled with members of the Donner and Reed households, set out in

hopes of making California for free land and a new life. The households had

heard of a path that would acquire them to this great new state taking

350-400 stat mis off their planned trip. It seemed to be a good thought to follow

the lead of Hastings if his promise of a shorter, easier trip was true.

The first part of the trip went swimmingly as planned and they reached

Fort Laromy on June 27. There, a adult male by the name of James Climan thought

that the cutoff Hastings had come up with was unpractical. He thought the

old manner was safer. But Reed the leader of the group didn & # 8217 ; t take the advice.

George Donner was elected leader of the party, even though Reed was the

obvious best individual for the occupation. The short cut was supposed to hold taken

350-400 stat mis off the original path. In fact it was 125 stat mis longer. On

August 6, there was a note left from Hastings stating the party shouldn & # 8217 ; T

continue. The group didn & # 8217 ; t listen to the warning though. They kept traveling and

shortly were going merely 2 stat mis a twenty-four hours.

On August 22 they reached The Great Salt Lake. It had tak

en them a month

alternatively of a hebdomad. So they were manner behind agenda. On Aug 30 they began

the trip across the Salt Desert harmonizing to Hastings, it should hold merely

taken 2 yearss but it took five and was really hard. Thirty cattle were lost

and people about died of heat exhaustion.

Soon after the desert, Reed murdered a adult male named Snyder. He was banished

from the group and had to put out on his ain. Once winter arrived, everyone

got stranded in the mountains. It snowed most of November and all the people

began hungering and deceasing of mal nutrition. Most of the cattle died and all

the waggons were long gone. Some work forces went to seek to acquire aid but they got

lost.

After being in the snow so long, the people got despairing for something to

eat and drew straws to see who would be used for nutrient. It was highly cold

and the adult females and kids suffered vastly. Some adult females had to watch their

hubbies dice and be eaten. A adult male named Patrick Dolan was the first to be

eaten.

Seven relief work forces came to seek and deliver the staying people. They easy

made their manner towards California. On the manner two kids died. James Reed,

the adult male that was banished, led the alleviation party.

In April of 1847 the Donner Party subsisters left the mountains and reached

their finish. Merely 46 out of 87 people survived. All of the Reeds

survived and 8 of the Donners died. They wished they wouldn & # 8217 ; Ts have gone

along with Hasting & # 8217 ; s path. They did acquire the land they wanted though, and in

1848 gold was discovered in CA, and it became the 31st province in 1850.