5 Mistakes that Doomed the Donner Party
In one of the darkest tales to come out of the journeys on the Oregon Trail, the Donner Party, a group of 87 pioneers became trapped in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California during an unusually harsh winter. For months, they fought to survive in horrific conditions, many resorting to cannibalism in an attempt to make it out alive.
While the Donner Party ran into it’s share of bad luck and unpredictable weather conditions, a series of bad decisions coupled with poor planning ultimately doomed them.
They Left Too Late
In April 1846, a group of eight families left Springfield Illinois to join the many heading west in search of a better life. This caravan was being organized by a businessman and farmer named James Reed, who would travel with his wife and four children. Among those joining him was the eponymous George Donner, who would become wagon captain, along with his wife and five daughters.
The group reached Independence Missouri, which was considered the official start of the Oregon trail, in the middle of May. Here they joined up with other caravans that would span nearly two miles long.
It was critical to leave early enough for their four month long journey so they could arrive in California safely before winter snow blanketed the mountains. March through…
