Which trail did the Donner Party take?

Which trail did the Donner Party take?

The Donner Party departed Missouri on the Oregon Trail in the spring of 1846, behind many other pioneer families who were attempting to make the same overland trip.

Did the Donner Party use wagons?

Like most pioneer trains, the Donner Party was largely made up of family wagons packed with young children and adolescents. Of the 81 people who became stranded at Truckee Lake, more than half were younger than 18 years old, and six were infants.

How many wagons did the Donner Party have?

The party elected George Donner to serve as its leader, and at its peak the Donner party would number some 87 people—29 men, 15 women, and 43 children—in a column of 23 ox-drawn wagons. Map of the Oregon and California trails.

Where exactly did the Donner Party get stuck?

After crossing the Great Salt Lake Desert in Utah, the Donner party stopped at Truckee’s Meadows, present day Reno, Nevada, to rest, but soon continued on. During a snowstorm they stopped and set up camp at the east end of Truckee Lake, now named Donner Lake, California, 13 miles northwest of Lake Tahoe.

Why was James Reed banished from the Donner Party?

Feelings against Reed ran so strong, some wanted to hang him. But others spoke out in his behalf. A compromise was struck, and he was banished. He had to leave his family and ride on, crossing the Sierra just ahead of the early snows that trapped the rest of the party east of Donner Summit.

Are there any descendants of the Donner Party alive today?

The answer haunted the 87 migrants of the Donner Party, who in 1846 attempted a shortcut to the Western frontier but instead lost 39 of their group to a winter of hunger and fierce blizzards. One living link to the Donner Party can be found in Napa, in the home and person of Millie Hagstrom.

What happened to Donner Party survivors?

What Happened to the Survivors? Most of the Donner party who lived through the ordeal enjoyed long and productive lives. Teenager Mary Murphy had lost her mother and five other family members, but within one month of reaching Johnson’s Ranch, she married William Johnson, co-owner of the ranch.

Who rescued the Donner Party?

Unknown/Wikimedia CommonsJames and Margaret Reed managed to survive the Donner Party disaster with their four children. In the spring of 1847, the last rescue party finally reached the desperate remains of the Donner Party.

What was the route of the Donner Party?

Independence, Missouri In May 1846, the nine covered wagons made the slow journey from Springfield, Illinois to Independence, Missouri. The Donner Party would purchase provisions here for their long, arduous journey to California. 3. Fort Laramie, Wyoming

Who was on the Donner and Reed wagon train?

Paiute Sarah Winnemucca recalled that her tribe would have helped the Donner-Reed party of 1846, “…only my people were afraid of them.” The California Trail was not a single trail.

How many people survived the Donner Wagon Train?

Rescuers from California attempted to reach the migrants, but the first relief party did not arrive until the middle of February 1847, almost four months after the wagon train became trapped. Of the 87 members of the party, 48 survived the ordeal.

Where was the Donner camp in California located?

Donner Lake, named for the party, is today a popular mountain resort near Truckee, California and the Donner Camp has been designated as a National Historic Landmark. The Donner Camp has been the site of recent archeological excavations. Sutter’s Fort in Sacramento, California, 1847. © Kathy Weiser / Legends of America, updated April 2020.