The Donner Party by Chris Valle

By chris17

  • leaving springfield

    The families of James F. Reed and George and Jacob Donner, 33 people in nine wagons, leave Springfield, Illinois
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    donner party chris valle

  • the Donners and Reeds

    The Donners and Reeds reach Independence, Missouri; they spend two days making final arrangements and leave on the the 12th

  • the springfielders

    The Springfielders join a large wagon train captained by Col. William H. Russell

  • Graves family

    Graves family, from Marshall Co., Illinois, crosses the Missouri at St. Joseph

  • sarah keyes

    Sarah Keyes, Reed’s mother-in-law, dies and is buried at Alcove Spring

  • Big Blue

    The wagon train completes the crossing of the Big Blue

  • Platte River

    Reach the Platte River, along which they travel for the next month.

  • William Russell

    William Russell resigns as captain of the wagon train, which is now led by William M. Boggs

  • Boggs company

    Boggs Company arrives at Fort Laramie and meet James Clyman, an acquaintance of Reed’s

  • Beaver creek

    Boggs Company celebrates the Glorious Fourth at Beaver Creek

  • Independence Rock

    Boggs Company reaches Independence Rock

  • Fort Bridger

    Donner Party reaches Fort Bridger

  • The McCutchen family

    The McCutchen family and Jean Baptiste Trudeau join the Donner Party

  • Weber river

    the Donner Party reaches the Weber River

  • Wasatch Mountains

    The donner party travels the new route through the Wasatch Mountains

  • Salt lake Valley

    Donner Party climbs Donner Hill and enters the Salt Lake Valley

  • Tooele Valley

    Luke Halloran dies and is buried in the Tooele Valley

  • salt lake desert

    The emigrants cut grass for the dry drive across the Great Salt Lake Desert

  • pilot peak

    After a grueling crossing of the Salt Desert, the emigrants rest at the spring near the base of Pilot Peak

  • ruby mountains

    The Donner Party follows Hastings’ tracks from Donner Spring into Nevada and around the Ruby Mountains

  • the california trail

    Reach the junction with the California Trail about 7 miles west of modern Elko, Nevada

  • john snyder

    Reed kills John Snyder

  • Humboldt

    Travel along Humboldt. Paiute raiders wound or drive off many cattle

  • truckee river

    Reach the Truckee River. After a rest at Truckee Meadows (present-day Reno), they begin ascent of Sierra

  • reaching truckee lake

    The larger group of emigrants reach Truckee (now Donner) Lake

  • attempts to cross the mountains

    More snow, more unsuccessful attempts to cross the mountains

  • Charles Stanton

    Charles Stanton and Franklin Ward Graves making snowshoes for "another mountain scrabble"

  • Baylis Williams

    Baylis Williams dies

  • "Forlorn Hope"

    After the weather clears, the snowshoers, later dubbed the "Forlorn Hope," set out

  • Alder creek

    Milt Elliott returns from the Donner camp at Alder Creek

  • "camp of death"

    They have great difficulty getting and keeping a fire lit. Antonio, Patrick Dolan, Franklin Graves, and Lemuel Murphy die at the "Camp of Death." With nothing left to eat, the survivors tearfully resort to cannibalism

  • Dutch Charley

    Back at the lake camp, "Dutch Charley" Burger dies

  • Battle of Santa Clara

    James F. Reed participates in the Battle of Santa Clara

  • Mrs. Reed

    Mrs. Reed, her daughter Virginia, Milt Elliott, and Eliza Williams set out to cross the mountains

  • johnsons ranch

    Seven survivors of the Forlorn Hope reach safety at Johnson's Ranch

  • Louis Keseberg Jr

    Louis Keseberg, Jr., dies in the Keseberg's lean-to

  • Sutters fort

    From his ranch near Sutter's Fort, Alcalde John Sinclair writes a letter to Alcalde Washington Bartlett

  • Landrum Murphy

    Landrum Murphy dies

  • Harriet McCutchen

    Harriet McCutchen dies

  • rescue party

    The citizens of San Francisco hold a meeting to raise funds for a rescue party

  • Margaret Eddy

    Margaret Eddy dies

  • First Relief

    First Relief leaves Johnson's Ranch

  • Eleanor Eddy

    Eleanor Eddy dies

  • Milt Elliott

    Milt Elliott dies.

  • First Relief

    First Relief reaches the lake

  • Catherine Pike

    Catherine Pike dies

  • Second Relief

    Second Relief arrives at the lake camp

  • Reed

    Reed leaves the camps with 17 emigrants

  • Eddy and Foster’s party

    Eddy and Foster’s party arrive at the lake camp

  • The Alder Creek camp

    At the Alder Creek camp, George Donner is dying from infection in the hand he injured months before

  • William Fallon and the Fourth Relief party

    William Fallon and the Fourth Relief party reach the camps

  • Louis Keseberg

    The last member of the Donner Party, Louis Keseberg, arrives at Sutter's Fort