Wandering Lizard

The Donner Party Tragedy in the Sierra Mountains in the winter of 1846-1847

The Donner Party

The Tucker group continued on toward Sutter's Fort. When they reached a second cache of food they attempted to ration food to the nineteen survivors to prevent complications from overeating, but one boy secretly ate too much and died as a result. Another man collapsed and died of exposure and weakness while in camp. The rest made it to Sutter's Fort.

Reed's ten man party reached Truckee Lake on March 1. They distributed provisions and seventeen persons including Reed's two children were selected to accompany the party back to Sutter's Fort. Three of Reed's party stayed behind to help the remaining members of the Donner Party, most of whom were too weak to help themselves. Two of the three soon decided to leave and try to catch up with the Reed party. The third made the same decision a few days later. One of the Donner Party decided to accompany him and they invited Mrs. Tamasen Donner to go along. Mrs. Donner was strong enough to make the trip but stayed behind to nurse her dying husband, Jacob Donner.

A few days after leaving the lake the Reed group was hit by the full fury of a powerful winter storm. Reed exhausted himself in preparing a camp for the group and became an invalid. They were forced to remain in what became known as "Starved Camp" without provisions for several days while the storm howled around them. Once again a number of the party including Reed suffered from snow blindness. Following the death of two people it was decided that the relief party had to move on to obtain supplies that would be sent back to the remaining fourteen at Starved Camp. Reed took his two children with him and one other joined them. When they reached their base camp a third relief party was organized and sent back to assist the people at Starvation Camp.

When the third relief party reached Starved Camp only eleven persons remained alive and once again there was gruesome evidence of cannibalism. Three of the relief party were designated to assist these eleven while the remainder pushed on to Truckee Lake. Of the eleven only two could walk, nine would have to be carried back to the base camp and anther storm was gathering in the mountains. John Stark literally carried many of the people back to the base camp on his back. Carrying one person forward a distance, putting him down in the snow and going back for another person. Repeating this over and over again until everybody was safely to the base camp.

The remainder of the third relief party, led by George Foster, reached Truckee Lake in the middle of March. They distributed what provisions they could to the survivors. Once again they urged Tamsen Donner to leave with them. Once again she declined to stay instead with her dying husband. (Mrs. Donner did, however, agree to send her three daughters out with the third relief party.) Keseberg was still in camp and a variety of stories have been told as to his motivation and activities during this period. Several stories say that he enjoyed eating human flesh and claim that he murdered people to eat them. Another theme that was common was that he was healthy enough to leave but remained in camp to steal valuables from the rest of the party. Keseberg denied these stories and explained instead that he was lame and could not walk. In any case he did not accompany the third party out of the campsite.

Following the safe return of the third relief party a fourth led by Captain W.O. Fallon arrived at Truckee Lake on April 17. The only person left alive was Keseberg. Fallon and his party believed that Keseberg had murdered Mrs Donner and almost hung him They decided to abandon him instead. When they left Truckee Lake Keseberg followed them. On the way out he discovered the body of his baby who had died during the Tucker party's exit from the mountains in February. (Samuel Brannan claimed to have met Keseberg on the trail during this period and said that he provided him with food.) Eventually Keseberg made it to Sutter's Fort where he was accused by Fallon and his party of murder. Keseberg sued Fallon and his party for slander. Alcalde Sinclair presided over the trial and the jury awarded Keseberg one dollar damages.

Forty-two of the ninety persons normally counted in the Donner Party died. In June 1847 General Stephen W. Kearney visited their campsite on his way out of California. His soldiers buried the dead and burned everything that they could find that was associated with their camps. Kearney said that it was the most appalling sight that he had ever seen. Forty-eight of the Donner Party made it out and settled all though California. The Donner tragedy resulted in Truckee Lake being re-christened Donner Lake as a memorial to them and their campsite has been set aside as Donner State Park.