Most famous of the
emigrant parties to cross the
Sierra Nevada into California via the
Truckee pass, in the winter of 1846-1847. Settlers heading to
California are
snowed in.
People die. Group runs out of
food. So they
eat their frozen loved ones. One of the survivors, Lewis Keseberg, despite his
notoriety, goes on to open a
restaurant.
Jacob and George Donner of Illinois were farmers, not mountain guides. Following some unreliable advice from a leaflet by Lansford Hastings, boasting of a shortcut to California through Utah and Nevada, the party suffered through terrible desert conditions and reach the Sierra late, out of provisions, and faced with an early snow. By the end of November, the stock was gone. All the cattle had been killed for food. None of the party were equipped for hunting or knew how to gather in the Sierra in the winter. On December 15, Balis Williams became the first of the party to die of malnutrition. On Christmas day, Patrick Dolan becomes the first corpse to be eaten.
Here's an excerpt from a newspaper of the day:
After wandering about a number of days bewildered in the snow, their provisions gave out, and long hunger made it necessary to resort to that horrid recourse casting lots to see who should give up life, that their bodies might be used for food for the remainder. But at this time the weaker began to die which rendered it unnecessary to take life, and as they died the company went into camp and made meat of the dead bodies of their companions. After travelling thirty days, 7 out of the 16 arrived within 15 miles of Capt. Johnson's, the first house of the California settlements; and most singular to relate, all the females that started, 5 women came in safe, and but two of the men, and one of them was brought in on the back of an Indian.
Nine of the men died and seven of them were eaten by their companions? The first person that died was Mr. C.S. Stanton, the young man who so generously returned to the company with Capt. Sutter's two Indian vaqueros and provisions; his body was left on the snow. The last two that died was Capt. Sutter's two Indian vaqueros and their bodies were used as food by the seven that came in. The company left behind, numbers sixty odd souls; ten men, the balance women and children. They are in camp about 100 miles from Johnson's, the first house after leaving the mountains, or 150 from fort Sacramento. Those who have come in say that Capt. Sutter's seven mules were stolen by the Indians a few days after they reached the company, and that when they had left, the company had provisions sufficient to last them until the middle of February.
The party that came in, were at one time 36 hours in a snow storm without fire; they had but three quilts in the company. I could state several most horrid circumstances connected with this affair: such as one of the women being obliged to eat part of the body of her father and brother, another saw her husband?s heart cooked; which would be more suitable for a hangmans journal than the columns of a family newspaper. I have not had the satisfaction of seeing any one of the party that has arrived; but when I do, I will get more of the particulars and sent them to you.
As soon as we received the information we drew up the appeal of which I enclose you a copy, calling a meeting in the armory of the Fort, explained the object of the meeting and solicited the names of all that would go. We were only able to raise seven here, they started this morning for Johnson's to join the party raised there. Capt. J.A. Sutter in his usual generous manner ordered his overseer to give this brave band of men, all the provisions they could carry. They took as much beef, bread, and sugar, as they thought they could carry and started in good spirits on their long and perilous trip. Capt. Kern the commander of the Sacramento District, will go up as far as Johnson's to-morrow to assist in starting the party, and may go as far as the Bear River Valley.
Source:
California Star, February 13,
1847