Table of Contents
- 1 Did the Donner Party use wagons?
- 2 How many Teamsters were going to drive the wagons for them Donner Party?
- 3 Who was the youngest person in the Donner Party?
- 4 Why did the Donner Party leave Illinois?
- 5 Why did the Donner party leave Illinois?
- 6 How many people were on the Donner Party?
- 7 Where did the Donner Party build their cabins?
Did the Donner Party use wagons?
Like most pioneer trains, the Donner Party was largely made up of family wagons packed with young children and adolescents. Of the 81 people who became stranded at Truckee Lake, more than half were younger than 18 years old, and six were infants.
How many Teamsters were going to drive the wagons for them Donner Party?
The starting point for the Donner Party including the Reed family and the Donner family. The party was comprised of 32 members including the Reed’s 2 servants and 7 teamsters who drove the wagons. In May 1846, the nine covered wagons made the slow journey from Springfield, Illinois to Independence, Missouri.
Who was the youngest person in the Donner Party?
| Lewis Keseberg | |
|---|---|
| Died | 1895 (aged 81) Sacramento, United States |
| Known for | Donner Party |
| Spouse(s) | Philippine Zimmerman ( m. 1842; died 1877) |
| Children | 11 |
What was the biggest mistake made by the Donner Party?
2. An intercepted letter may have sealed the Donner Party’s fate. Most historians agree that the Donner Party’s fatal mistake was taking the Hastings Cutoff. It put them almost a month behind schedule and severely depleted their resources before the critical last stage of their journey.
Why did the Donner Party split off from the main group of wagons?
By now, it was well into October, and the Donner families split off to make better time. Two wagons in the remaining group became tangled, and John Snyder angrily beat the ox of Reed’s hired teamster Milt Elliott. But George Donner, the party’s leader, was a full day ahead of the main wagon train with his family.
Why did the Donner Party leave Illinois?
In the spring of 1846, a group of nearly 90 emigrants left Springfield, Illinois, and headed west. Led by brothers Jacob and George Donner, the group attempted to take a new and supposedly shorter route to California. The Donner party left Springfield, Illinois, in April 1846.
Why did the Donner party leave Illinois?
How many people were on the Donner Party?
The party was comprised of 32 members including the Reed’s 2 servants and 7 teamsters who drove the wagons. 2. Independence, Missouri In May 1846, the nine covered wagons made the slow journey from Springfield, Illinois to Independence, Missouri.
How many people survived the Donner Wagon Train?
Rescuers from California attempted to reach the migrants, but the first relief party did not arrive until the middle of February 1847, almost four months after the wagon train became trapped. Of the 87 members of the party, 48 survived the ordeal.
When did the Donner Party reach the Sierra Nevada?
Despite the Hastings Cutoff debacle, most of the Donner Party still managed to reach the slopes of the Sierra Nevada by early November 1846. Only a scant hundred miles remained in their trek, but before the pioneers had a chance to drive their wagons through the mountains, an early blizzard blanketed the Sierras in several feet of snow.
Where did the Donner Party build their cabins?
On October 31 the weary migrants approached what is now Donner Pass across the Sierra Nevada and found their progress blocked by deepening snow. Most of the party thereupon built crude cabins near what is now known as Donner Lake.