The donner party was a group of 89 emigrants from illinois who purportedly turned to cannibalism to survive after getting trapped by snowfall while on a westward journey in 1846. The donner partys nightmarish journey penetrated to the very heart of the american dream at a crucial phase of the nations manifest destiny. This isnt the first time the donner party has been the subject of a documentary. But i hope someone else makes a good dramatization of this event that is historically accurate from the beginning of the journey to the end. If it had worked out differently, the group of settlers that came to be known as the donner party would have slipped over the sierra nevada into. The donnor party happened during a very important part of american history. What starts out as a voyage to the west in pursuit of the american dream quickly turns deadly for the donner party after a series of bad decisions and severe weather. The donner party was a group of 89 emigrants from illinois who purportedly turned to cannibalism to survive after getting trapped by snowfall while on. It was widely circulated that members of the party resorted to cannibalism after their food ran out, giving the party its lasting notoriety. From there they lost valuable days and energy cutting a trail through the wasatch mountains and into the great salt lake desert. Californias donner lake got its name from the donner party, whose members endured a terrible winter nearby in 1846. The donner party is a 2hour documentary that explores the donner party s infamous journey. The donner party s nightmarish journey penetrated to the very heart of the american dream at a crucial phase of the nations manifest destiny.
This movie was rife with historical inaccuracy from the first scene. On april 17th, the relief party reached the camps to find only louis keseberg alive among the mutilated remains of his former companions. The special premiered at the boston film festival as the closing night selection. It took two months and four relief parties to rescue the entire surviving donner party.
The donner party is a 2hour documentary that explores the donner partys infamous journey. After several early snowstorms, the emigrants and its leaders crispin glover and clayne crawford find themselves trapped, freezing and without any source of food. Sometimes truth is stranger and more interesting, than fiction and that is the case with this event. Based on the harrowing true story, the donner party picks up after william hastings steers a group, nicknamed forlorn hope, off course by. In 1846, a group of 87 ordinary settlers calling themselves the donner party set off west in order to start a new life in california. The tragic story of the donner party legends of america.
A fourth rescue party set out in late march but were soon stranded in a blinding snowstorm for several days. Three years before the gold rush, 87 pioneers took a shortcut westward to california, only to get caught in the. Donner, george donner, leader of what was to become the most famous of all the hundreds of wagon trains to start for the far west, the tragic, now nearly mythic donner party. In the donner party tragedy, twothirds of the men in the party perished, while twothirds of the women and children lived. When the last of four relief teams arrived at a lakeside camp in the sierra nevada mountains on april 17, 1847 to recover what was left of the. The donner party is a 2hour television event that retells the story of one of the most infamous manifest destiny journeys.
And the decision to take the hastings cutoff made the harlanyoung party the last that season to cross the sierra nevada ahead of the illfated donner reed party. What starts as a call to the west quickly turns to a deadly journey for three families and their compatriots on a quest for the american dream. Hastings, who claimed it was as much as 200 miles shorter than the established trail to the north by way. They took the new route south of the great salt lake at the urging of lansford w. Like many others with the pioneering spirit, the donner party headed west for california in 1846, following their american dream. Jul 02, 2017 californias donner lake got its name from the donner party, whose members endured a terrible winter nearby in 1846. The donner party fortysix survivors out of an original 87, reached california starving, tired, and traumatized for life from the experience they had just been through. Campbells articles informs us that, although there was no direct connection between the mormon church and the donner party, it is interesting to note that one of the larger families in the party was mormon, and that other members of the church were instrumental in obtaining relief for the stranded group, and participated in the first successful rescue attempt, and that members of the.
He then killed a man who was beating his oxen,and was forced to leave the camp, and his family right before the snow storm hit. At its largest, the donner reed party had 87 people and 23 wagons. T he first to take wagons over the hastings cutoff from fort bridger to the humboldt river were some 200 emigrants who crossed utahs salt desert in 1846 about three weeks in advance of the donnerreed party. From the pbs series american experience comes this documentary about a harrowing struggle for survival. The party did not exist when its members crossed the missouri river in may, 1846. The 19thcentury pioneers set out for a new life when america was gobbling up. The ric burns documentary on the donner party is very good. Donner party, group of american pioneers stranded en route to california in 1846. Based on the harrowing true story, the donner party picks up after william hastings steers a wagontrain, known as the donner party, off course by promising a shorter route to california through the sierra nevada mountains. Throughout the donner party, burns seems to take his visual and aural cues from the opening sequence of the shining, in which the torrances drive up a mountain pass to the strains of a doomladen soundtrack. James frazier reed is probably the luckiest, and most interesting person in the donner party, as his massive two story wagon was the reason the entire group was slowed up. Watch the donner party american experience official. With darrin miller, elizabeth austin, libby baker, jon bloch. They made the tragic mistake of taking the untested hastings cutoff, which put them weeks behind.
More than just a riveting tale of death, endurance and survival. As the donner party approached the summit of the sierra mountains near what is now donner lake known as truckee lake at the time they found the pass clogged with newfallen snow up to six feet deep. The donner party 1992 thats right, one of the most unsettling movies of all time is a pbs history special by ric burns brother of ken, relating the infamous tale of frontier cannibalism via the usual mix of historical stills, nature photography, and celebrity voiceovers. How lewis keseberg was branded the killer cannibal of the.
The opening shot here is a sweeping, birdseye view of the sierra nevada mountains, and the music is angelo badalamentis. Isolated in horrific conditions, about half of the original group of nearly 90 people died of starvation or exposure. The donner party was a group of american settlers heading to california who became stranded in heavy snows in the sierra nevada mountains in 1846. Keseberg was the last member of the donner party to arrive at sutters fort on april 29th. James reeds map of the humboldt river and sierra nevada. Wolfinger are two of the more obscure members of the donner party.
American experience the donner party tv episode 1992 imdb. Travel on the california trail followed a tight schedule. This is a wonderfully made documentary which i purchased after watching first online. The program recreates the donner party s journey from family journals, newspaper accounts, and interviews with historians and. Some of the migrants resorted to cannibalism to survive, eating the bodies of those who had succumbed to starvation and sickness. The donner party sometimes called the donner reed party was a group of american pioneers who migrated to california in a wagon train from the midwest.
A film by ric burns dvd,trapped in the sierra nevadas during the bitter winter of 1846, nearly 90 members of the donner and reed families longed for californias promised land. Todays entry in our ongoing look at famous diary entries is a dark one. Jun 30, 2019 the donner party was a group of american settlers heading to california who became stranded in heavy snows in the sierra nevada mountains in 1846. It was october 28, 1846 and the sierra snows had started a month earlier than usual. Delayed by a series of mishaps, they spent the winter of 18461847 snowbound in the sierra nevada mountain range. American experience made a wonderful production of this piece, and although a heart wrenching story at times, this account does justice to the pain and sacrifice made by the donner party. See more ideas about donner party, party and history. Rating is available when the video has been rented. A year of suffering was spent on a time that was thought to have been only a few months of easy traveling on a shortcut routed by a man named lance hatings. Information on this site was converted from a hard cover book published by university of utah press in 1994. The donner party was a group of 87 people who journeyed west for land and new lives in california.
The donner party is an excellent, engrossing historical documentary about the famous infamous. The donner party started its trip dangerously late in the pioneer season. The donner party, illfated settlers turned to cannibalism. The film premiered at the boston film festival as the closing night selection. A documentary film 19992003 the way west 1995 the donner party 1992 coney island 1991 current projects. The donner party is a 1992 documentary film that traces the history of the donner party, an illfated pioneer group that trekked from springfield, illinois to sutters. Coming attractions for you 2020s most anticipated movies. An exact accounting of the donner party is made difficult by deciding exactly when the donner party actually formed. The first novel i read about the donner party was james houstons snow mountain passage, a very moving account which follows the life of patty reed, who was only eight when her family joined the wagon train in 1846, beyond the mountains into her california.
While most everybody has certainly heard of the harrowing tale of failed western migration or is at least familiar with the name the details of the expedition are a little less known. They were among several germanspeaking emigrants in the group and apparently did not interact much with the nativeborn americans who left the documentary. The group did pretty well, timewise, until they reached the hastings cutoff. Recalling the donner partys 184647 trek westward from illinois to california, which took a tragic turn when some members resorted to cannibalism after snow stranded them in the sierra nevada for. He prepared to move his family west in great style. The film, narrated by david mccullough, premiered at the telluride mountainfilm. The program recreates the donner partys journey from family journals. Watch the donner party american experience official site pbs. The donner party term has long become synonymous with one of americas most infamous cases of cannibalism in recorded history. The donner party set out from illinois in april of 1846. Nov 28, 2015 this isnt the first time the donner party has been the subject of a documentary. The group was named for the expeditions captain, george donner. It was the journey west to expand the countries boundries, and explore new land. But an untried shortcut became a death warrant for half of them.
American experience the donner party season 5 episode 3. Watch the donner party american experience official site. Many groups of travelers came before them, and many would come after them, yet the horrifying tragedy of their journey would make the donner party the most famous group of pioneers in american history. Revisit one of the most infamous manifest destiny journeys. Sometimes known as the donnerreed party, the emigration west was initiated by james frasier reed, a business man looking forward to the promise of the west. They were among several germanspeaking emigrants in the group and apparently did not interact much with the nativeborn americans who left the documentary evidence. Why did stranded settlers do something so horrible. American experience the donner party tv episode 1992. The donner party is a 1992 documentary film that traces the history of the donner party, an illfated pioneer group that trekked from springfield, illinois to sutters fort, california a disastrous journey of 2500 miles made famous by the tales of cannibalism the survivors told upon reaching their destination. Trapped in the sierra nevadas during the bitter winter of 1846, nearly 90 members of the donner and reed families longed for californias promised land.
The donner party has been selected to screen at the savannah film festival on wednesday, october 28. The donner party was a group of 89 emigrants from illinois who purportedly turned to cannibalism to survive after getting trapped by snowfall. The shining itself contained a reference to the donner party. Schallenbergers cabin breens site of present donner monument kesebergs addition to schallenberger cabin. George donner was elected captain of the party at the little sandy river on july 20, 1846, but several people joined the party later, at fort bridger and in the wasatch. The donner party 1992 purchase director, writer and producer ric burnss the donner party, a ninetyminute history of the illfated pioneer group, premiered at the telluride film festival in september 1992 and aired nationally on pbs in october, 1992. Three years before the gold rush, 87 pioneers took a shortcut westward to california, only to get caught in the snows of the sierra nevada. Watch the donner party 2009 full movie free online. Trapped in the sierra nevada mountains, they fall prey to subzero temperatures, torrential rainfalls, floods and ten foot snow drifts, and are eventually forced to. Aug 31, 2019 the interactive transcript could not be loaded. What starts out as a voyage to the west in pursuit of the american dream quickly turns deadly for the donner party after a. I had seen this documentary on pbs many, many years ago and thought it was an excellent depiction about the donner party and their plight. Weather channel airs cgi documentary dead of winter.
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