What route did the Donner Party take?
The journey west usually took between four and six months, but the Donner Party was slowed after electing to follow a new route called the Hastings Cutoff, which bypassed established trails and instead crossed the Rocky Mountains’ Wasatch Range and the Great Salt Lake Desert in present-day Utah.
Did the Donner Party eat their babies?
Not all of the settlers were strong enough to escape, however, and those left behind were forced to cannibalize the frozen corpses of their comrades while waiting for further help. All told, roughly half of the Donner Party’s survivors eventually resorted to eating human flesh.
How close are the Donner’s to California when the axle breaks?
On April 16, 1846, nine covered wagons left Springfield, Illinois on the 2,500-mile journey to California, in what would become one of the greatest tragedies in the history of westward migration.
What happened to James Reed after he was banished?
One emigrant proposed hanging Reed, but after Reed’s wife pleaded for leniency, the other emigrants decided to banish him instead. On January 2, 1847, Reed participated in the Battle of Santa Clara. While in the area, Reed took steps to secure land for himself in Santa Clara, where he would eventually bring his family.
What happened to the Donner Party after they were rescued?
After their rescue, the Donner Party survivors became famous and then infamous. While a small number denied the tales of cannibalism, at least eight survivors personally admitted to eating human flesh.
Who was the Graves family in the Donner Party?
The Graves Family [ Donner Party Roster] [ Rescuers and Others] T he Graves family from Illinois has not been as well represented in the history of the Donner Party as have the Donners and the Reeds. Both parents, a son-in-law, and a son died in the disaster; two more children died after being rescued.
Who was the teamster with the Graves family?
With the family went a teamster, John Snyder. They traveled with the Smith Company, which left St. Joseph about May 25, 1846. In August the Graveses overtook the Donner Party in what is now Utah.
Who are the members of the Graves family?
Graves, Nancy, Jonathan, Franklin, and Elizabeth left with the Second Relief on March 3. Mrs. Graves tried to salvage her family’s wealth, a bag of coins, but it proved too heavy to carry and she cached it near the lake.
When did the Graves family move to California?
In 1867, L. P. Bates remembered that “Mr. Graves and family lived here 15 years, and then started for California, because, as he believed, that was the best wheat country.” With the family went a teamster, John Snyder.