The Donner Party: A tale of the California dream marred by killing, mishaps and cannibalism
Stress was high among the exhausted migrants and on Oct. 5, an altercation between Reed and a teamster employed by another family ended with Reed fatally stabbing the man. Some members of the party suggested that Reed be hanged, but he was banished. Reed would continue west on horseback while the rest of his family remained with the Donner Party.Paiute warriors killed several of the party’s oxen after they left the area around Reno and headed for the mountain pass.
About three-quarters of the emigrants camped at the east end of Donner Lake while the George and Jacob Donner families and a few others who were behind camped about six miles away, at Alder Creek, just north of present-day Truckee. After more than six weeks being stranded in the snow, a party of 10 men and five women set out to cross the mountains on makeshift snowshoes on Dec. 16. Miwok villagers made first contact with the surviving members and fed and clothed them during a month-long journey in storms to get over the mountains. Two men and all the women got through to the Sacramento Valley.Settlers of California, along with James Reed, who had been expelled, organized a relief party that left Fort Sutter on Jan.
The last survivor, Lewis Keseberg, who had supported himself during the last weeks by cannibalism, did not leave camp until April 21.Keseberg was vilified as a cannibal and accused of being a thief and a murderer. Keseberg eventually sued Edward “Ned” Coffeemeyer, one of his own rescuers, for defamatory statements. Keseberg won in court, but was only awarded $1.
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