The Donner Party

8 Locations | Curated by Samuel Watson, Brigham Young University

Perhaps the most infamous group of pioneers in American history, The Donner Party’s journey in 1846-47 has been firmly planted in Intermountain lore. Of all the emigrants who traveled the overland trail during the era of westward expansion, the mistakes, intrigue, and cannibalism of the Donner Party makes it the name which many Americans remember. This 8-part tour features notable stops along their journey through the Intermountain West. From Fort Laramie in eastern Wyoming to Sutter’s Fort in central California, read through the timeline of events that led to the Donner Party’s infamous demise.

On June 27th, 1846, George Donner led a group of westward-bound emigrants from Illinois into Fort Laramie in what is now eastern Wyoming, but then unorganized territory. Fort Laramie was considered the doorway to the Intermountain West for travelers on the Overland Trail. For the Donners it would be considered the doorway to the first of many errors which made them the most infamous pioneers in…
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On July 20th, 1846, a group of families on an emigrant train in present-day Wyoming separated from the main party to take a supposed shortcut that would expedite their journey to the Mexican territory of Alta California. This group known as the Donner Party started their journey on the cutoff with the goal of reaching Fort Bridger, which would be the point of no return on their ill-fated journey.
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Having separated from the main Oregon/California trail after the Continental Divide, the Donner Party reached the mouth of Echo Canyon in Eastern Utah in early August, 1846. This marked the beginning of uncharted territory and an arduous journey through the Wasatch mountain range in present-day Utah. Invaluable time was wasted cutting brush and trees, passing through thin crevices, or crossing…
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Emigrant parties and explorers used this mountain peak on the southern end of Pilot Mountain Range, which straddles the modern Utah-Nevada border west of the Bonneville Salt Flats, as a landmark to track their progress out of the Great Salt Lake Desert. For the Donner Party, the most infamous group of pioneers in American history, it was a place where fatal lost time and resources became realized,…
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The Humboldt River resides in modern-day central Nevada and marks the spot where the Hastings Cutoff reunites with the traditional California trail. It was along this river that distrust overcame the Donner Party, with its party members being attacked, banished, and murdered.
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Truckee Lake (now known as Donner Lake) is nestled on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains of modern-day California. On the western side of the Lake there is an opening in the mountains where the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy party passed through in 1844 and set the primary route that westward emigrants would use to enter the Sierra Nevadas. For the Donners, this pass would become an…
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This fort, which began construction in 1840, served as one of the last stops for emigrant trains bound for Alta-California, and marks the end of the Donner Party’s expedition. Slave labor, the gold rush, and the rescue of the Donner Party all contribute to the legacy of both the fort and its creator.
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