S8, Ep2. The letter successfully allayed any fears that the party might have had regarding the Hastings cutoff. In 1862 the Indian raids on the coaches and stations between Fort Laramie and South Pass, Wyoming were almost continuous. By late 1849 more than 100,000 people had come to California in search of gold near the streams and canyons where theDonner Partyhad suffered. The wagon train encountered riders urging emigrants on the road to travel down to Fort Bridger and take a shortcut called the "Hastings . Good in theory, but how many bankers knew which way to hold a gun? The letter ended up in the hands of Fort Bridger's founders, owners, and the people who stood to gain the most if thousands of settlers started passing through their trading post, so you can probably guess what happened next. The number of deaths which occurred in wagon train companies traveling to California is conservatively figured as 20,000 for the entire 2,000 miles of the Oregon/California Trail, or an average of ten graves per mile. Bents Fort was occupied by troops, and, in anticipation of coming events, several new posts were established throughout the Indian country and occupied by small garrisons. The dead of those awful years lies numberless and nameless in their unknown, scattered graves. On February 19th, the first party reached the lake finding what appeared to be a deserted camp until the ghostly figure of a woman appeared. "The child was dead his miseries were over!" 1. Applebee's great wagon train of 1843 was fairly unusual in its size (120 wagons), but it did what only . Indian Attack on a Wagon Train by Charles Marion Russell. Emigrants only had what they could carry. Roadtrippers says Blue Mound, Kansas, was the site of the first accidental gun death on the trail, and it happened to the ill-named John Shotwell. The Survivors of the Donner Party - History in Charts The Reeds, the Donners, and a number of others chose to head southwest toward Fort Bridger. The Donner Party Disaster - True West Magazine While the party camped near modern-day Henefer,Utah,James Reed, along with two other men forged ahead on horses to catch up with Hastings. When he sees an opportunity at the bank, it leads to tragedy. Donner Lake,named for the party, is today a popular mountain resort near Truckee,Californiaand the Donner Camp has been designated as a National Historic Landmark. During a months harrowing, often overwhelming hardships from cold, storms, deep snow, and inadequate food, they struggled on. With George were his third wife, Tamzene, their three children, Frances, Georgia, and Eliza, and Georges two daughters from a previous marriage, Elitha and Leanna. With the train desperately needing fresh meat, Cooper Smith, along with Barnaby, sets off . The group made good progress all the way to Fort Laramie (in what is now southeastern Wyoming), covering roughly 650 miles (1,050 km) in six weeks. The Sioux came out on top during that skirmish, and Grattan's body was recovered riddled with arrows. The route lying along the North Platte River became so dangerous that it was almost impossible to secure drivers even at the highest wages. With the addition of roughly a dozen teamsters and employees, this initial party numbered some 31 people, and within a month the Donners and Reeds had reached Independence, Missouri. It is easy to conceive the danger which night and day pursued those men who were then employed upon the Overland Trail. Grattan took several howitzers, which is not how you start a peaceful negotiation when tensions are already high. With the trail blotted entirely from sight, all that could be done was wait for the storm to blow over. On July 31st, the party left Fort Bridger, joined by the McCutchen family. There were no supply stations, carts broke down better than they rolled, Salt Lake City officials had no idea who was coming, and travelers weren't prepared for doing the work of hunters, pioneers, and oxen all at the same time. Time was supposed to heal all wounds, he wrote, but that was B.S. Between early September and late October 1860, 34 of the 44 would die, including Elijah and his entire family. In 1862 the Sioux made a savage onslaught far east into Minnesota. Tensions continued to mount as more and more people headed West, though, and on August 19, 1854, one hotheaded idiot kick-started a 22-year war. From September 10ththrough the 25th, the party followed the trail intoNevadaaround the Ruby Mountains, finally reaching the Humboldt River on September 26th. Twenty-two people, consisting of the Donner family and their hired men, stayed behind while the wagon was repaired. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. After examining remains from the Alder Creek campsite, researchers in 2010 announced that they had been unable to find any human bones or other physical evidence of cannibalism. He found a camp of 15 people, including five dead who had been partially eaten by the starving living. The Santa Fe Trail was the first used for staging purposes and was also the first to be reddened with blood and witness the hardships of prairie travel. Tales and Trails of the American Frontier, Byways & Historic Trails Great Drives in America, Soldiers and Officers in American History, Easy Travel Organization Tips You Will Love, Bidwell-Bartleson Party Blazing the California Trail. Generally, the first fire from the Indians killed one or two horses and tumbled a soldier or two off the top of the coach. Obviously adventurous, the brothers decided to make one last trip toCalifornia, which unfortunately would be their last. The rest of the pioneers stayed at what would become known as Starved Camp.. Burials often were done right in the middle of the trail, where wagons could roll over and animals trample it down in order to erase the scent so wolves could not pick up the scent. Animals could panic when wading through deep, swift water, causing wagons to overturn. On March 14ththey arrived at the Alder Creek camp to find George Donner was dying from an infection in the hand that he had injured months before. The Denver Post reports the plan was simple: British and Scandinavian converts who were too poor to buy wagons would load all their worldly possessions onto a handcart, push them across the U.S., and make the journey in only 60 days. They'd established a safe home in the Walla Walla Valley, and within the year the seven had been officially adopted by the couple who were killed in a massacre three years later, along with John and Francisco Sager, the eldest children. The wagon train comprised 18 to 30 wagons pulled by ox and mule teams, plus several hundred cattle and a number of blooded horses the men were driving to California's Central Valley. Taking a vote among the party members, the group decided to try the new trail rather than backtracking to Fort Bridger. Hide hunters, hunters who kill buffalo for their hides only, have temporarily joined up with the wagon train. This occurrence took all desire for further peace talk from him, and the fight was on. George Bent had for father the famous Colonel William Bentof Bents Fort, but his mother was a Cheyenne woman. In the twenty-one days since reaching the Weber River they had moved just 36 miles. There were a few reasons for it, and Brian Altonensays part of the problem was the saline-alkaline waters of the Platte were the perfect breeding ground for cholera left behind in settlers' waste products. A combination of military forces compelled the allied tribes to make professions of peace, and for a few months, relieved the trail of its horror. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. On the Trail - McCully Wagon Train - 1852. When it was obvious a person wouldnt last the day, the train would often hold up moving in order to wait for the end. Though they occasionally attacked small bodies of troops, the Indians directed their main efforts against the trains of freight wagons and the comparatively defenseless stage stations. My father, with tears in his eyes, triedto smile as one friend after another grasped his hand in a last farewell. Mountain Meadows Massacre - HistoryNet You're probably familiar with the story of the Donner party, the second-most famous thing about the Oregon Trail. But in the mountain district to be traversed before reaching Santa Fe, the most serious disasters usually occurred during the winter. In truth, there wasn't much conflict between the Native American tribes and early travelers, who were mostly fur traders and missionaries. The researchers themselves clarified, however, that the absence of archaeological evidence did not rule out the possibility that cannibalism had occurred, especially given the extensive contemporary accounts by members of the rescue parties and the survivors themselves. The British Raj tried to cover up this heinous event but. Soldiers were used to guarding the stagecoaches, yet attacks were frequent, and the loss in property and lives was large. Instantly they were fiercely attacked by an ambushed party of Apache under White Wolf. It could attack a perfectly healthy person after breakfast and he would be in his grave by noon. Beside the driver, named Frank Williams, sat one of the robbers, thoroughly disguised. This new route enticed travelers by advertising that it would save the pioneers 350-400 miles on easy terrain. Hide hunters, hunters who kill buffalo for their hides only, have temporarily joined up with the wagon train. With James and Margaret Reed were their four children, Virginia, Patty, James, and Thomas, as well as Margarets 70-year-old mother, Sarah Keyes, and two hired servants. Keseberg was the last member of the Donner Party to arrive at Sutters Fort on April 29th. The passengers were all old frontiersmen and were prepared for a desperate defense, anticipating a possible robbery attempt. Wagon Train Cast | List of All Wagon Train Actors and Actresses - Ranker On August 11th, the wagon train began the arduous journey through the Wasatch Mountains, clearing trees and other obstructions along the new path of their journey. Children were especially susceptible to being run over by heavy wagons. While on a scout with his troop from Fort Union, New Mexico, Bell came upon White Wolf and an equal number of Apache. Hindsight is 20/20, so let's see if you can guess what went wrong with Brigham Young's plan to bring Mormon converts to their new paradise on Earth. Living off the bodies of those that died along the path to Sutters Fort, the snowshoeing survivors were reduced to seven by the time they reached safety on the western side of the mountains on January 19, 1847. There followed a 24-hour fight, from which the whites emerged with a loss of but three men killed and eight wounded. One of their number, Gib Ryker, is a sociopath who enjoys antagonizing young Barnaby West. Both children and adults could slip while getting out of a wagon and fall beneath the wheels. Katharine Ross whose stardom still awaited gives a stunning performance in the It was a west-bound Concord, containing a full complement of passengers, including a Mr. White, his wife, child, and colored nurse. At Taos, New Mexico, were several troops of the Second Dragoons under Major Greer. 10 Things You Should Know About the Donner Party - History Here they fought their assailants all day, six of the men being wounded, and all their stock was driven off. Imagine taking your entire family across the country with only what you can pack into a minivan, and no rest stops or Taco Bells along the way. Two men saved their lives, one feigning death in the bottom of the coach, the other escaping into the brush. There was one major problem, thoug. From start to finish, it took between five and six months, and it's hard to imagine today. Tensions were running high among the exhausted migrants, and on October 5 an altercation between Reed and a teamster employed by another family ended with Reed fatally stabbing the man. The next day, on May 12, 1846, they headed west again in the middle of a thunderstorm. Given the starvation that happened later, it's impossible not to wonder how many people died dreaming of everything they dumped. Yet, even more, a summer hailstorm was to be dreaded, for nowhere else do such ice-chunks descend from the sky. The Raton Range had been safely surmounted, and, just about dawn one morning, the heavy coach entered the canyon of the Canadian River, its occupants unsuspicious of any danger. Don Brooke is desperate for money for his pregnant wife Bonnie, whose condition is too delicate for the long trip without more medical care so he seeks a bank loan. In the meantime, the Graves family caught up with theDonner Party, which now numbered 87 people in 23 wagons. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Two survivors were 10-year-old Ann Campbell Giles and 12-year-old Maximilian Parker. About this time, fear began to set in as provisions were running low and time was against them. During their first week in the Cutoff, the Donner party made good progress. The Tragic Fate of the Donner Party, 1847 - EyeWitness to History On April 17th, the relief party reached the camps to find only Louis Keseberg alive among the mutilated remains of his former companions. On Thanksgiving, it began to snow again, and the pioneers at Donner Lake killed the last of their oxen for food on November 29th. The most important of these, situated in the very heart of this blood-stained territory, was Julesburg, Colorado. The village head, Conquering Bear, also died, and it only escalated from there. George Donnerwas a successful 62-year-old farmer who had migrated five times before settling inSpringfield, Illinois along with his brother Jacob. At a lonely spot, this man suddenly shouted an alarm that the robbers were upon them. Patriarch Henry Sager took ill by the time they reached the Rockies, and they buried him alongside Green River. The Oregon Trail was one of the primary routes for American settlers heading from the Eastern States out to the Wild West. The next day, they arrived at Alder Creek to find that the Donners had also resorted to cannibalism. Led by Elijah Utter (sometimes written "Otter"), the group included four families, 21 children, and a few former soldiers. The migrants began the ascent of the Sierra foothills low on food, and Paiute warriors killed several of the remaining oxen. According to Peter D. Olch, being run over by wagon wheels was the most frequent cause of injury or death. This custom of guarding coaches by soldiers along the Overland Trail was inaugurated during the Sioux uprising of 1863. Compiled and edited by Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated December 2021. The next day five men, nine women, and one child departed on snowshoes for the summit, determined to travel the 100 miles to Sutters Fort. Food was a huge concern, and that makes Fort Laramie nicknamed "Camp Sacrifice" that much more tragic. Elijah P. Utter led a wagon train of 44 emigrants along the Oregon Trail. When it was obvious a person wouldnt last the day, the train would often hold up moving in order to wait for the end.