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Donner Party - College Paper

Donner Party

Although The of 1846-1847 is the most famous of the immigrant parties to cross the Sierra Nevada along the “Truckee Route,” they were not the first. Where the Stephens Party succeeded in crossing, in a very severe winter in 1844-1845, the became stranded and met only tragedy two years later. The Stephens Party was led by experienced mountain men and included a physician among its members; the was composed of farmers and a high proportion of women, elderly, and children. The Donner brothers, Jacob and George, along with James Reed, all from Illinois, organized the party. They set out on their journey in April of 1846 and in a reasonable amount of time had reached South Pass, a ...

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Reed was banished from the party. The party was badly demoralized before they ever reached the Sierra. Due to the short cut the party took they arrived at the Sierra late, out of provisions, and faced with an early snow. They did not have the strength to ascend through the snow to the summit and most of the party returned to winter over, at what was known as Truckee Lake. The Donner brothers and their family, were in even worse condition. They had many problems with the wagons, and George Donner injured himself trying to make the repairs. The family was forced to endure the winter in tents at Alder Creek. Apparently, none of the family or other members traveling together had the will or perhaps the skill and knowledge to hunt or fish in the harsh Sierra environment. They had lost all their stock and were essentially without food
A small group of 15 from within the party elected to attempt to cross the Sierra on foot to seek help. Seven of the original 15 made it to ...

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Donner Party. (2008, January 27). Retrieved March 2, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Donner-Party/78108

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 1/27/2008 10:20:09 AM
Category: World History
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 556
Pages: 3

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