The story of the Donner Party: their beginnings, their journey West, their tragedy, and their salvation.
It
was 1846, and going West to California was on many Americans' minds.
Most weren't willing to uproot their families and themselves and start
the arduous journey West across an unforgiving -- and largely unknown --
landscape. But some were. Among those brave enough to undertake the
effort were the members of the Donner Party. They were a group
better-off than many, as several of the families in the party were
wealthier and had made preparations for the long journey. And yet, due
to a variety of poor choices (some blatant and others innocent), the
Donner Party became trapped in the Sierra Nevada during one of the most
brutal winters in an already unforgiving terrain. And so for years the
Donner Party was infamous for what occurred while they sat as prisoners
to snow and wind, high up in the mountains. Their only hope lay in some
of their own surviving the bitter weather to go for help.
***I
never intended to read anything about the Donner Party. I mean, it's
morbid, right? But then I discovered that this group was going West
around the time many LDS Pioneers went West to Utah. I also learned that
this group had some wealth and had been preparing for a while and
therefore had pretty awesome provisions, all things considered. So I
wondered: why didn't they make it? This piqued my interest, so I sought
out a book with good reviews and put it on my to-read list. I learned a
lot. There were times when the story of the Donner Party lagged a
little, but overall, I was intrigued as I read. Horrified by some of the
choices made along the trail (given that I know the outcome and
hindsight is 20/20); haunted by what happened. As a mother, I can't help
but imagine (and pray that I never have to know) the "what if"
scenario. I really appreciated the author's statement that the members
of the Party were people, just regular people, doing the best they could
to survive. Haunting, indeed. But I learned a lot. And I appreciate
that the author didn't create a gruesome, gory story.
