“Compulsive reading—a wonderful account, both scholarly and gripping, of a horrifying episode in the history of the west.” —Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.
The tragedy of the Donner party constitutes one of the most amazing stories of the American West. In 1846 eighty-seven people—men, women, and children—set out for California, persuaded to attempt a new overland route. After struggling across the desert,...

The story of the Donner Party is very much the story of James F. Reed's family, not simply because the Reeds were prominent members, but because they left much documentary evidence: diaries, memoirs, correspondence and letters written en route and interviews shortly after the disaster. The adopted daughter of Reed, Virginia Reed Murphy's memoir is a noteworthy recounting of the Donner party disaster and its gruesome end. Her writing is sprightly,...

"A retelling of the fate of the Donner Party, with a Walking Dead style twist"--

"Imagine leaving your home and moving across the country to a new life on the unknown frontier. That's exactly what members of the Donner Party were trying to do in the mid-1800s when they traveled out west, chasing their dreams of a better life. But instead, many were destined to meet a cruel fate. Lively language, historical illustrations, and primary source journal entries from members of the Donner Party help readers feel as if they were a part...

Uses materials from letters and diaries written by survivors of the Donner Party to relate the experiences of that ill-fated group as they endured horrific circumstances on their way to California in 1846-47.