The Donner tragedy during the Gold Rush.
Donner Party, group of American migrants to California in 1846-47. Two families, the Donners and the Reeds, accounted for most of the 87 members of the party, which left Sangamon County, Illinois, in 1846, under the leadership of George Donner. After considerable difficulty crossing the Great Salt Lake in Utah, they were trapped by heavy snows in the Sierra Nevada in November. Forced to camp for the winter at a small lake, now named Donner Lake, about 21 km (about 13 mi) northwest of Lake Tahoe, they suffered enormous hardships, and members of the group resorted to cannibalism in order to survive. Forty-seven of them were eventually brought to California by rescue parties over what is now known as Donner Pass.
"Donner Party," Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 98 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
