The Donner Party: Cannibals on The California Trail | 2024 Documentary

In 1846, a group of families set out for California in search of a better life. However, their journey took a tragic turn as they encountered brutal weather conditions, dwindling supplies, and forced to resort to extreme measures for survival, including cannibalism, the Donner Party's ordeal became a symbol of resilience and desperation in the face of adversity. Despite the grim circumstances, this wild, western tale has captivated generations, serving as both a cautionary tale and a reminder of the enduring human will to survive -- no matter what. Join us as we explore the untold details and lasting legacy of this unforgettable chapter in American frontier history. This… is the real story of the Donner Party.
0:00 Intro
1:03 Behind The Scenes
6:06 The First Leg
13:55 The Troubles Begin
25:55 The Snow Arrives
35:06 The Forlorn Hope
41:13 Search And Rescue
57:49 The Aftermath
1:08:38 Cannibalism Or Folklore
Thank you for watching.
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[@dinarusso3320]

😢 if an experienced traveler/mountain man advises you to not go a certain route, listen!

[@footprintsofthefrontier]

It's true! Although, the tales of the west would have been much more tame had everyone followed instructions.

[@matteorenner1386]

I've lived in Truckee California (right next to donner lake) nearly my entire life. Everyone learned about the Donner Party in school as children, but it wasn't until my early teens that I could truly grasp the tragedy of what occurred at the Donner Pass. I'm an avid snowboarder and my home mountain is Sugar Bowl, which sits on the western side of Donner Peak. The highway we call "Old 40" is the road along Donner Lake which climbs up the Mountains that overlook the lake from the West. The well accepted consensus is that this "Old 40" is the route the Donner Party attempted to take before getting stuck at Donner Pass. I drive up this road almost everyday and the gravity of the place never goes away. The fireplace of the Murphy Cabin stands to this day at the western edge of Donner Memorial State Park. Visiting the Murphy Cabin on a cold winter night is a harrowing yet fantastic experience, which puts into perspective just how harsh the conditions they dealt with were.

[@footprintsofthefrontier]

An incredibly vivid write-up of your experiences, thank you for sharing! We love hearing personal stories like this.

[@audreywrisley2485]

I'm a direct descendant of Patrick Breen, the man who wrote the diary on the Donner Party. He lived to have children, so clearly he was the one doing the eating. Strange stuff.

[@angelbabe133]

He definitely ate someone but not the brains

[@ThomasOToole-ws5fq]

Breen was from co Carlow Ireland

[@sandidavis820]

@@ThomasOToole-ws5fq Breen is a real old name from Ireland and comes up quite a bit in Irish History.

[@PavlovsDog-kl8mo]

Sooo, in his diary, um, did he ever mention the words, "Tastes like chicken." ? Sorry. Can't stop myself sometimes. Sorry. Really sorry.

[@WonderDerek]

​@angelbabe133 you can eat brains and not get the laughing sickness. I forget what it's technically called. Just have to hope the person's brain youre chowing down on isn't infected

[@WonderDerek]

Fun fact: the man that undressed himself and went out into the cold while saying its warm was suffering from severe hypothermia, obviously. That can cause somrthing called "paradoxical undressing," where someone thats obviously hypothermic feels warm due to the blood in the body mostly retreating to the torso to keep the internal organs alive. This makes the person feel warm since most of the blood is concentrated in 1 area. Interesting stuff. The Dyatlov Pass members suffered the same thing.

[@allanolivier9589]

Im not American but have a deep interest in this country's vibrant history. Wish there were more books available on your history.

[@mr.iforgot3062]

Groovy. Yeah, these were the old West days. Lawless. I live on the trail in Oregon. Nothing but open land out here.

[@yvonneconte3040]

That's really cool. USA 🇺🇸. Our country is beautiful in all regions. Such a variety of beautiful nature

[@bryanfrombuffalo7685]

The founding fathers didn't found this nation on the god of the bibles principles...but the god of this world...that's why you have a Egyptian obelisk in our capital and a pyramid on our bill

[@natewass7399]

There are hundreds if not thousands of books on this era. Look for them under the following subjects Westward Expansion, Manifest Destiny, American West History, How the west was won, Native American history, American Gold Rush. Also nearing and after the turn of the century with Trans continental railroad, great depression, dust bowl. Just to name a few topics.

[@Pagangirl8]

​​@@bryanfrombuffalo7685 Those are just silly symbols. Nothing else. Look closely at the principles the Founding Fathers laid out. They were indeed Christian and not Egyptian.

[@ryancantu2141]

I regularly stay at a little hotel right on Donner Lake. There's a plaque right on the banks of the lake with all their names. It's very creepy at night in the winter. Quiet as can be, and the lake just looks so pretty despite what happened there

[@footprintsofthefrontier]

We hope to spend a night or two at Donner Lake sometime in the near future! Thanks for the teaser.

[@mh8704]

I was fascinated by this story as an 8 year old visiting my grandparents house in California back in the 1960’s. My grandpa had a collection of True West magazines and they had an in depth article about the Donner Party with photos. It was disturbing then, and it’s still disturbing now. Thanks for your excellent video!

[@dannydevito5729]

Everyone should read The Indifferent Stars Above, one of the best non fiction books you'll ever read

[@farrislaura]

Very well done. It was if I was taking a history class, and this was the topic for the week! Thanks.

[@footprintsofthefrontier]

An incredibly humbling comment, thank you! To achieve in giving that experience is a major goal of ours. Much more where this came from!

[@davidbigbee3556]

I’m impressed!!!! That is the most detailed description of the “Donner Party” that I’ve ever seen. I subscribed halfway through! 👍🏻

[@polarfamily6222]

This is one of those real events that needs to be taught in schools. People don't realize the horrors that also took place in building this great nation.

[@huasohvac]

They teach it to us here in California.

[@SuperPlastered]

They taught it to us in my school in NV. But, I have a Donner Party Mix: Serving your fellow man since 1846 tshirt and wear it in FL without anyone even noticing.

[@musakamara4157]

There's a lot they should be teaching in schools

[@davemathews7890]

And the millions of Indians who were slaughtered...

[@SuperPlastered]

@@davemathews7890 my school taught that as well. But, here in FL??? Not so much.

[@davemathews7890]

I was ten minutes into this documentary before I realized that its subject was California cannibals, not California cannabis.

[@footprintsofthefrontier]

Sorry to let you down! Stay tuned for a "Cannabis in the Wild West" essay in the near future!

[@cwtrain]

"Donner Party" didn't clue you in? Need a bit of time on the whetstone, huh? 😏

[@davemathews7890]

@@cwtrain Why is everyone so fucking snarky these days? Does acting like a shit make you feel smarter than other people?

[@daver00lzd00d]

​@@davemathews7890 ...you new to the internet? because if that comment bothers you you're gonna have a bad time fam

[@davemathews7890]

@@daver00lzd00d No, I work for a living. I know what people can be like.

[@Plumbingadjacentdrainguy]

A well placed cantina burrito advertisement turned this into a comedy for a second

[@bold810]

Donner Party Food Fight. "Golly!, I got hit in face.. WITH A FACE!!!" 😌

[@xeutoniumnyborg1192]

Depending on the cantina burrito location, it might be safer dining with the Donners.

[@CrazyCatMom11]

For anyone who wants to read a detailed and well-researched book about the tragedy, I strongly recommend Ordeal By Hunger, by George R Stewart.

[@goodvibesteadyblazin]

the indifferent stars above is also very good i’ve listened to the audiobook a few times too

[@thebandit666]

I highly recommend the indifferent stars above as well!

[@donnawoods8039]

Great book.

[@gdcitizen2]

Thanks 👍

[@tinamacy3312]

I wonder if we can listen audio books???

[@dreamofmermaids]

I'm so glad I found this channel! You are a great story teller! I've been to the Donner party museum and stayed at Donner lake many times in my life. A very haunting story.

[@anthonylewis1980]

Your smoking hot

[@loridavis5699]

Im pretty sure the youth of today have no idea what our ancestors went thru

[@josephclarkakl]

Yeah today's youth goes into full panic mode when they lose their phones or gadgets 🙄

[@mrcha0s]

​@@josephclarkaklYeah and our ancestors don't know what it feels like to lose your phone or wallet full of credit cards. If I had to pick I'd rather eat my party (or be eaten) than lose my wallet and phone.

[@chriswick7987]

I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t eat each other though?

[@loridavis5699]

@@chriswick7987 how do you know? Have you ever been so hungry that your will to survive overrides everything? I have not so i cant say what I would do

[@synsrfem4428]

Some of your pictures were confusing because they didn't match the script but your essay was very well written

[@mattwilliam5522]

Nevertheless still so sensual and erotic

[@Jasonificatiation]

Oregon Trail video game left this out completely!

[@jamesstone9213]

😂

[@H.Liddell]

😂😆

[@DisWldFrk90]

Oregon Trail II didn't. In fact that game purposefully has the deadly winter of the Donner Party year so if you travel out that year; you have a good chance of getting snowbound. They even let you travel on the Hastings cutoff; but if you survive you won't come out in good shape. They also, if you play the years after the Donner tragedy, have certain landmarks renamed after them and talk about them just like in real life.

[@SophieJackson1993]

It didn’t.

[@alkohallick2901]

Did it?

[@laurel237]

This is great. I grew up living near and visiting the Castro Breen house in San Juan Batista. As a young adult I lived in Truckee near Donner Lake. Both of these places have museums and there’s an amazing statue at Donner Lake of the pioneers looking to the west.

[@bold810]

I'm from the North Coast, and every time I drive to the east or back home, I try to stop there and say a prayer. 😞😔🙏

[@laurel237]

I love this

[@rzum81]

I used to go to my late Aunts cabin at Donner Lake. Kinda morbid and strange how it became quite the tourist spot knowing the history as an adult.

[@jenniferunderwood951]

It is a very sad event in American history. Under nothing conditions a person, if necessary, could go 9 days without food, but can not go without water.

[@jenniferunderwood951]

That’s “under normal conditions “.

[@normstewart67-99]

@@jenniferunderwood951i thought it was 30 days for food?

[@gloriarangott8803]

Correct...but the condition of those ppl having gone without sustenance for a prolonged period of time is very weak, and not able to do very much. I've been too sick to consume food twice in my 84 years of life, and can tell you that after awhile the body starts to break down and the mind hallucinates....

[@timeforcoffee485]

Excellent storyline, thoroughly enjoyed.

[@MrSkydiverDan]

This is your best documentary so far! Everything about this was great and the narration was perfect, as always.

[@footprintsofthefrontier]

Wow, thank you! We really appreciate the kind feedback.

[@tombombadilofficial]

I googled John Stark to see what he looked like and he looks exactly how Imagined him to be! What a badass!

[@maryearll3359]

What a tale of human frailty and courage. Wonderful narration. I'm left feeling sick at the suffering, finding the tale to be so horrible and marvelling how people survived without losing their minds. What courage was shown by all involved. Everyone did ehat they had to do - we can't judge their actions. It's great they won't be forgotten. ❤

[@Sincityraider]

It was taught at my elementary school in Reno, Nevada back in the 80's. We even took a field trip to Donner Lake and hiked out to the exact spot where the cabin was. It's something I still remember to this day. PBS did a documentary on the Donner Party which I own a DVD copy of, It's very eerie and sad.

[@stevebailey325]

There is a California State campground and museum there now. I've stayed at the campground and been to the museum a number of times. Though the dont lnow the exact location of the cabins there is a large rock they think one of the cabins was backed up to. The doll one of the girls had is in the Sutter Fort Museum in Sacramento.

[@TobyAva2023]

very good...easy listening...

[@footprintsofthefrontier]

Thanks for listening!

[@weirdbeard1980]

From the time I was a kid, I've always found the Donner party tale fascinating. I often look around and try to imagine what it would be like to attempt an ascent of the mountains here in a wagon train. I live in a neighborhood called Prosser which is across the street from Alder creek. I play where these people suffered. Rafting the truckee river, swimming and boating in Donner lake and skiing on the surrounding mountains. Nearly every video I've posted is rafting the Truckee or skiing one of the surrounding mountains. There's even one rafting video that ends at sutters mill, on the American river.

[@footprintsofthefrontier]

We love hearing responses such as this one! What a peculiar feeling it must be conjuring those images as you stand where such tragedy once unfolded. Thanks for sharing!

[@rakuencallisto]

Great video. Very informative.

[@mr.iforgot3062]

Donner Party the musical is sacrilege.

[@alyssabeam5062]

Great jon on the video, very detailed and just all around a great job

[@footprintsofthefrontier]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@mfburns7909]

1 of my teachers,Bill was related to the Donner Party. RIP Bill and the Donners

[@ericjepson3765]

Interesting the first name you mention is Breen. I actually got everyone in my family a copy of his diary as Christmas presents a few years ago. Coulda been a heck of a weather man. haha. Rip

[@footprintsofthefrontier]

Wow, an incredible story! Thanks for sharing. There's no doubt meteorology was in his blood.

[@kazneasham9110]

How sad😢 have read about this tragedy and horrors years ago😢

[@Nat929]

I've always been fascinated by this case, so horrific 😢

[@craigdutton6072]

Pioneer story’s have always interest me ,I live in pioneer country in Australia 🇦🇺 just imagining how hard it was with the very little folks had ✊they pushed and pushed to find new country knowing that it was life or death 💀 with kids at foot ,that’s brave rite their in its self ❤️

[@LloydMcCoy]

It gives a whole new meaning to the old term “Eat Me”

[@patriciaclark9957]

And now disturbingly this area is a picnic ground.

[@davemathews7890]

In Truckee, a diner serves "Donner burgers."

[@Moonewitch]

​@@davemathews7890 😳😳😳

[@cindytackett7106]

@@davemathews7890

[@sheilatruax6172]

What??!

[@sandidavis820]

When did this happen??? I was there in the early 1980s or late 1970s.

[@nephilimdemon4643]

Excellent work here 👍❤

[@CC-hz1qm]

First leg of the journey….Finally something I can sink my teeth into 😮

[@cadence4527]

If you went to a certain location near Truckee, you'll find a forest of dead trees with the crowns of the trees missing. Some people may find this odd, but this is just an indication of just how deep the snow was. They harvested what they could, leaving the rest buried in the snow. If any of you play RDR2, there is a unique detail about the "donnor party" reference. A random camp encounter will have you learn about a tragic story very similar to the Donnor Party. Up near Lake Isabella, (I believe) just southeast of Spider Gorge you find a collection of oxen, dead and frozen. These are the oxen of the in-game Donnor Party counterparts. Near the dead oxen, you'll find a bunch of trees that have been cut down. Look again and you'll notice that only the crowns of the trees are cut down, with the rest of the trees buried beneath the snow. While a good number of youtubers will point the detail of the oxen out, the detail about the trees gets overlooked, mostly because it is a fact that not many people will know about. RockStar really did their homework with this one and I applaud them for adding in this special piece of authenticity. Its unfortunate that it is a detail that only a small handful of players will really appreciate.

[@DM-kl4em]

Lewis Keseberg was found sitting under a tree, gnawing on a leg bone. He had a big belly, and he couldn't stop belching. He asked the rescuers what had taken them so long, and if they had brought any steak sauce. Later, in 1895, he went prospecting for gold in San Francisco, where he drank water from a contaminated stream, and died from McGill's pop, due to the terrible case of dysentery that followed. He was 81 years old.

[@SaltyChip]

the donner party sounds like a bummer and id skip the buffets if I were you.

[@lizclarke8570]

Great documentary, by eck it was a tough life back then.

[@PavlovsDog-kl8mo]

"Donner, party of 8...wait...sorry, make that 7. Donner, party of 7. You're table is ready" Yes, I'm already ashamed of myself. I don't need your help.

[@memyselfandeye8377]

I read a book on this. He must have read from it. Wonderful job!

[@kendraheard8240]

Wow I went to the San Bernardino museum near my home in southern California and they talked about this group and particularly the woman with 13 children they even had her wagon they claimed she rebuilt because she lost the first one that she traveled in!

[@vincentp.locollo3343]

You mean they ate each other up!!! They had to , to survive Danny!!!

[@stephenmorgan2714]

I’ve been working on donner pass for the past 4 years at sugarbowl ski resort. I used to make snow there on graveyard shift. 12am-12pm outside in the snow and dark working our butts off. Our joke when we were exhausted and hungry was that we’d start eating each other haha

[@Yourmomma92]

Ask a Mortician has a great video on this too! And maybe even Simon whistler?

[@marcielynn4886]

A tender subject indeed.

[@angiedues8813]

I’m headed to Truckee this weekend so I thought I’d do some research before checking out the museum

[@luanagardner1815]

Excellent

[@ericahenderson7093]

This would be a great horror movie or maybe American Horror Story can pick it up😮

[@mauriceclark4870]

Those. Shortcuts. Turn. Into. Long. Cuts. Sometimes. !!

[@stephenolson532]

A crispy taco commercial just before this video. Weird😮

[@kayfitzgerald309]

Nice documentary 😊Thanks I live by the Weber River!! (pronounced " Wee-Ber")😊

[@mikeoittinen5623]

Good story and book.

[@joyhill7315]

Well done.

[@iainsanders4775]

Pcs of beautiful scenery. Of course it's just a massive obstacle course to anyone trapped there.

[@mattsmith1137]

I lived right by Donner lake for many years and it always bugged the crap out of me it occurred to no one they could have busted through the ice on one or more of the many small creeks feeding into lake set up some improvised nets to catch fish or spear them. Problem solved.

[@judylivingston8145]

This was a horrible example of following the wrong people, just for a shortcut

[@dinarusso3320]

Exactly, this turned into a tragedy because of an unknown "short cut", very sad over a poor choice

[@craigdutton6072]

Some of the images reminded me of a painting my dad has of some early pioneers crossing a swollen river with cattle 🐄 it’s called the ringers

[@WonderDerek]

This video is like a reading straight from wikipedia. Like, almost word for word

[@15cuhonda6]

The First leg is a wrongly named chapter

[@Beerman111980]

"All you can eat" at the Truckee Sizzler (just don't ask where the meat comes from)

[@aprilleerose]

This isn’t like the Oregon Trail game I played in fifth grade at all… 😢

[@josephmusico7055]

Someone ring the dinner bell

[@bryanfrombuffalo7685]

4 commercials in 15 min...at this rate ill die b4 the end of the story

[@shawndyer8140]

It is easy to get detached from y struggle s the y face d.just a few i ago i saw some of the wagon ruts and the y are deep. I believe itwas 2004.

[@nomore5403]

How did they stay warm. Those mountains and snow

[@peggystoutemorin4529]

I would have appreciated this more without the loud, intrusive music. Why can't folks just tell a story? The music adds absolutely nothing to it, and in this awful tale, it seems disrespectful.

[@marcielynn4886]

A tender subject.

[@jhill5003]

I see what you did there 😂

[@michellejohnson9202]

I don't understand how there were so many rescue parties - why didn't they just take everyone the first time?

[@footprintsofthefrontier]

A great question! The west was still severely underdeveloped at this point in time, making communication slow. California wasn't nearly as populated either, as the gold rush was still a year or two away. Without clear cut information being shared, the thought of heading out on a potential rescue mission probably sounded like suicide to many of the able-bodied folks who could even survive such a task in the first place.

[@Sam-81810]

"They raised up 500 dollars to fund another rescue mission." me: "dang... They could've bought a PS5 with that kind of money"

[@navigator487]

That's $104,000 in current money using 3% inflation compounded.

[@johnq.random1496]

'The Shining.'

[@desertdwellerpete]

That's a lot of howevers

[@bethewalt7385]

You refered to one of the female survivors of this incident as refusing to acknowledge the "cannabilisim that took the lives of her mother and brother" cannabilisim didn't kill anyone, survivor's didn't cut up and eat living persons, they waited until they died from other issues and when once dead they were cut up and eaten, it's a specific and significant designation, it matters, call things by there correct name......

[@Iamfree1962]

What are the two Indians killed and eaten called?

[@mikexcite6688]

The endless stock footage is so distracting. Just random images that meet the dictionary-definition of what's being talked about

[@EpicShortBus]

I love how out of everything that went down they still remember the natives who stole a horse and a shirt lol after killing 2 native men the history still has the gull to mention the shirt

[@curtisbrown5939]

The cannibals did eat Uncle Bosey after all 😬

[@faisal_noor]

Is there any movie about this ?

[@polarfamily6222]

There was a Hollywood version a while back but it was so bad I don't recall the name.

[@huasohvac]

Cannibal: The Musical

[@davemathews7890]

Donner Part 2009, but it's more fiction than truth.

[@jamesstone9213]

It's coming soon. All blk

[@yvonneconte3040]

One more mountain with Meredith Baxter and the donner party are 2 that I know of

[@richardcranium3579]

Is it bad when you said the Donner’s 5 kids, in my head I replaced kids with “entrees”?

[@CarolFord-ez7fr]

Truckee lake?

[@testy518]

If you were starving and close to death, would you eat human flesh if it was the only source of nourishment available? i certainly would!!

[@dt3802]

I don't know why but I thought the Adults were all younger.

[@robertschaal5465]

I just seen a picture from a Western movie 🤔🤣..makes me wonder how many more mistakes were made ..I don't remember all the particulars about the incident...u never can trust these videos....read a book🤦.. guess I'll have to go to the library to re fresh my memory 🤦

[@psyenz8946]

Is this video just a list of names?

[@trinidaddy9562]

I wonder what the musical was like lol

[@jeffwhisman7990]

For anyone that wants to know the more complete truth it goes like this- .my family split with the Donner party at the fateful decision, went the southern route and established themselves in what is now Silicon valley. There is a Whisman School District and a Whisman Avennue to this day. I guess my ancestors had set up delivery service from San Jose to Sacramento. Complete your research dude

[@idasauerwein512]

🤣🤣🤣

[@jamesstone9213]

Horse apples

[@cindytackett7106]

@@jamesstone9213 Meadow Muffins

[@Midds1_]

Should’ve just stayed in Jackson Hole!!

[@themourning1783]

This was clearly the work of Donald Trump 😮

[@carmichael3594]

They were not cannibals by nature they were forced to survive.

[@mauriceclark4870]

People. Still. Travel. Great. Distances. In. Hope. Of better life. ! But it. Don't. Always. Work out. For them. !!??

[@user-zr1og9qx5i]

The American Experience version is a lot more watchable. This is more a recitation of facts. It's hilarious the way the narrator can't just say "women are better at not starving to death" but instead has to pretend the men who got them into this mess just worked harder so that's why more men starved vs women. So Mormon.

[@randydelaney7053]

it's pronounced Keesburg not Kesburg

[@johnmonk66]

OMG do you have to name all 150 people? Get on with it.

[@mauriceclark4870]

There. Was a case. In. Scotland. Glenis. Castle. During. A siege. Men in castle. Said. If you. Let. Some soldiers. In we will. Surrender. Soldiers. Went in. Door. Slammed shut. Poor. Soldiers. Were. On menu siegers. Left. !!!

[@lancevanvleet5013]

A musical….now that’s funny