The Donner Party was a group of American pioneers who traveled to California in a wagon train for several months from 1846 to 1847. Several delays and poor planning caused them to be trapped in the Sierra Nevada mountains during the winter. They set up camp near Truckee Lake (now Donner Lake) from November to March. They ran out of food and many of them succumbed to malnutrition and starvation, while others resorted to cannibalism. Historians generally recognize that the company consisted of 87 members, most of whom belonged to large families or were employed by them to drive wagons. Some were unaffiliated with any families. Only 45 of the original 87 members survived. Some attempted to escape their improvised camp on snowshoes, but they got lost and the excursion took 33 days. Rescuers arrived on February 18 and again on March 1, and March 14, 1847. Each relief party took whoever was strong enough to walk, escorting survivors on foot. Not all who were rescued survived to California.

During the second relief party, the rescuers, led by James Reed, had to abandon thirteen members of the Graves and Breen families because they were too weak to go further. The emigrants were deeply affected by prolonged starvation which made them weak and apathetic, thus choosing to wait for the next relief party to come with food. Reed and the relief party had cached provisions by hanging them in trees, but animals had destroyed the provisions and those who were rescued, already weakened by at least two months of living on oxhide tallow, were unable to rouse themselves to walk through the snow to safety. Reed and others described this location as "Starved Camp". Several days later, the Graves and Breen families were found by the third relief party and evacuated, although three of the emigrants had died.[1][2][3]

Most of the members of the Donner Party traveled in large family groups, which became a significant factor in the survival of many. Twenty of them were unrelated, most of them single men who had a high death rate. Women survived men two to one, and of the members of the party who died, women survived longer than men. The most significant factor in survival was age.[4][5]

Members

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Table key
Jacob Donner family
Graves family
Murphy family
People not related to larger family groups
Ages in italics are estimated
Name Age Deaths 1st relief
Feb 18, 1847
2nd relief
Mar 1, 1847
3rd relief
Mar 14, 1847
Notes
Donner, George (Captain) 62 March 1847, Alder Creek
Donner, Tamsen 44 March 1847, Truckee Lake (Breen cabin)
Donner, Elitha 14 x
Donner, Leanna 12 x
Donner, Frances 6 x
Donner, Georgia 4 x
Donner, Eliza 3 x
Donner, Jacob (George's brother) 65 December 1846 at Alder Creek
Donner, Elizabeth 45 March 1847 at Alder Creek
Donner, George, Jr. 9 x
Donner, Mary 7 left at "Starved Camp" because of frostbitten feet; was unable to feel when she put her feet in campfire while sleeping, and got badly burned; came out with John Stark.
Donner, Isaac 5 March 1847, "Starved camp"
Donner, Samuel 4 March 1847 at Alder Creek
Donner, Lewis 3 March 1847 at Alder Creek
Hook, Solomon (Elizabeth's son by first husband) 14 x
Hook, William (Elizabeth's son by first husband) 12 February 1847, after gorging himself while with first relief
Reed, James F. 46 banished from company in October 1846; traveled to California with Walter Herron, participated in 2nd relief party, afterward settled in San Jose.
Reed, Margaret 32 x
Reed, Virginia 12 x
Reed, Martha (Patty) 9 x
Reed, James 6 x
Reed, Thomas 4 x
Breen, Patrick 51 left at "Starved Camp"; came out with John Stark.
Breen, Margaret 40 left at "Starved Camp"; came out with John Stark.
Breen, John 14 left at "Starved Camp"; came out with John Stark.
Breen, Edward 13 x
Breen, Patrick, Jr. 9 left at "Starved Camp"; came out with John Stark.
Breen, Simon 8 x
Breen, James 5 left at "Starved Camp"; came out with John Stark.
Breen, Peter 3 left at "Starved Camp"; came out with John Stark.
Breen, Margaret 1 left at "Starved Camp"; came out with John Stark.
Graves, Franklin Ward ("Uncle Billy") 57 December 25, 1846 with snowshoe party
Graves, Elizabeth 45 March 1847 en route to Bear Valley with the second relief
Graves, Mary 19 Survived showshoe party
Graves, William 17 x
Graves, Eleanor 14 x
Graves, Lovina 12 x
Graves, Nancy 9 left at "Starved Camp"; came out with John Stark.
Graves, Jonathan 7 left at "Starved Camp"; came out with John Stark.
Graves, Franklin Ward, Jr. 5 March 1847 en route to Bear Valley with the second relief
Graves, Elizabeth 1 left at "Starved Camp"; came out with John Stark.
Fosdick, Jay 23 January 1847 with snowshoe party
Fosdick, Sarah (née Graves) 21 Survived showshoe party
Murphy, Levinah 36 March 1847 following departure of the third relief
Murphy, John 16 January 3, 1847 at Truckee Lake (Murphy cabin)
Murphy, Mary 14 x
Murphy, Lemuel 12 December 1846 with snowshoe party
Murphy, William 10 x
Murphy, Simon 8 x
Foster, William 30 Survived showshoe party
Foster, Sarah (née Murphy) 19 Survived showshoe party
Foster, George 4 March 1847 following departure of second relief
Pike, William 25 October, 1846; accidentally shot by William Foster
Pike, Harriet (née Murphy) 18 Survived showshoe party
Pike, Naomi 2 x
Pike, Catherine 1 February 20, 1847 at Murphy cabin
Eddy, William 28 Survived showshoe party
Eddy, Eleanor 25 February 7, 1847 at Truckee Lake (Murphy cabin)
Eddy, James 3 March 1847 at Truckee Lake (Murphy cabin)
Eddy, Margaret 1 February 3, 1847 at Truckee Lake (Murphy cabin)
Keseberg, Lewis 32 Last survivor rescued by salvage party
Keseberg, Philippine 23 x
Keseberg, Ada 3 February 1847 en route to Bear Valley with the first relief
Keseberg, Lewis, Jr. 1 December 24, 1847 in Keseberg lean-to
McCutcheon, William 30 Left party in October 1846 to ask John Sutter for provisions; arrived in California safely and participated in second relief
McCutcheon, Amanda 25 Survived showshoe party
McCutcheon, Harriet 1 February 2, 1847 at Truckee Lake (Graves cabin)
Wolfinger, First name unknown (male) unknown October 1846 possibly killed by Reinhardt
Wolfinger, Doris 20 x
Antonio (Last name unknown) 23 December 1846 with snowshoe party
Burger, Charles ("Dutch Charley") 30 December 29, 1846 in Keseberg's lean-to Teamster for Donners
Denton, John 28 February 1847 en route to Bear Valley with first relief Traveled with Donners
Dolan Patrick 35 December 1846 with snowshoe party Traveled with Breens
Elliott, Milford (Milt) 28 February 9, 1847 Teamster for Reeds
Luís unknown January 1847 with snowshoe party Vaquero employed by John Sutter who joined the party in October 1846
Halloran, Luke 25 September 25, 1846 of tuberculosis Traveled alone until he became too ill and became passenger of the Donners
Hardkoop, First name unknown 60+ October 1846, last seen unable to walk Traveled with Keseberg
Herron, Walter 27 Left with James Reed in October 1846, made it safely to Sutter's Fort
James, Noah 20 x Teamster for Donners
Reinhardt, Joseph 30 December 1846 at Alder Creek Traveled with Spitzer
Salvador unknown January 1847 with snowshoe party Vaquero employed by John Sutter who joined the party in October 1846
Shoemaker, Samuel 25 December 1846 at Alder Creek Teamster for Donners
Smith, James 25 December 1846 at Alder Creek x Teamster for Reeds
Snyder, John 25 October 1846, killed by James Reed Teamster for Graves
Spitzer, Augustus 30 February 7, 1847 Traveled with Reinhardt
Stanton, Charles 30 December 1846 with the snowshoe party Traveled with Donners
Trudeau, Jean Baptiste 16 x Teamster for Donners
Williams, Baylis (half-brother of Eliza) 20 December 14, 1846 at Reed cabin Teamster for Reeds
Williams, Eliza (half-sister of Baylis) 31 x Servant of Reeds
[6][7]

See also

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Donner Party timeline

References

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  1. ^ Stewart, pp. 237–246.
  2. ^ King, pp. 92–93.
  3. ^ Rarick, pp. 214–215.
  4. ^ McMurphy, Stephen (1994). Epidemiology of Disaster The Donner Party (1846–1847), Western Journal of Medicine, 160, pp. 338–342.
  5. ^ Hardesty, pp. 131–132.
  6. ^ "Roster of the Donner Party" in Johnson, Kristin (ed.)(1996). Unfortunate Emigrants: Narratives of the Donner Party, Utah State University Press,. ISBN 0874212049, pp. 294–298.
  7. ^ "Roster of the Donner Party" in Stewart, George R. (1936). Ordeal by Hunger: The Story of the Donner Party: supplemented edition (1988), Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0395611598, pp. 363–364.