The Expedition of the Donner Party and its Tragic Fate

Eliza P. Donner Houghton (1843 - 1922)

The Donner Party was a group of California-bound American settlers caught up in the "westering fever" of the 1840s. After becoming snowbound in the Sierra Nevada in the winter of 1846–1847, some of the emigrants resorted to cannibalism. Although this aspect of the tragedy has become synonymous with the Donner Party in the popular imagination, it actually was a minor part of the episode.

The author was about 4 at the time. The first part of the book accounts the tragic journey and rescue attempts; the last half are reminiscences of the child orphan, passed from family to family while growing up. (Summary from Wikipedia & Tricia G)

Genre(s): Memoirs, Modern (19th C)

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 00 Preface Alana Jordan
00:06:36
Play 01 Chapter I Alana Jordan
00:16:06
Play 02 Chapter II Alana Jordan
00:16:57
Play 03 Chapter III Alana Jordan
00:16:11
Play 04 Chapter IV Alana Jordan
00:15:01
Play 05 Chapter V Alana Jordan
00:24:20
Play 06 Chapter VI Alana Jordan
00:17:48
Play 07 Chapter VII Alana Jordan
00:05:50
Play 08 Chapter VIII Alana Jordan
00:14:55
Play 09 Chapter IX Alana Jordan
00:25:46
Play 10 Chapter X Alana Jordan
00:14:21
Play 11 Chapter XI Alana Jordan
00:06:06
Play 12 Chapter XII TriciaG
00:07:56
Play 13 Chapter XIII TriciaG
00:08:13
Play 14 Chapter XIV TriciaG
00:12:23
Play 15 Chapter XV Donna Stewart
00:14:57
Play 16 Chapter XVI Donna Stewart
00:09:06
Play 17 Chapter XVII Donna Stewart
00:14:20
Play 18 Chapter XVIII Jacquerie
00:13:43
Play 19 Chapter XIX Jacquerie
00:14:45
Play 20 Chapter XX Donna Stewart
00:25:01
Play 21 Chapter XXI Donna Stewart
00:17:56
Play 22 Chapter XXII Donna Stewart
00:12:13
Play 23 Chapter XXIII Donna Stewart
00:21:21
Play 24 Chapter XXIV Donna Stewart
00:18:16
Play 25 Chapter XXV Donna Stewart
00:09:37
Play 26 Chapter XXVI Donna Stewart
00:15:06
Play 27 Chapter XXVII Donna Stewart
00:13:48
Play 28 Chapter XXVIII David Lawrence
00:06:39
Play 29 Chapter XXIX Miriam Esther Goldman (1991-2017)
00:13:30
Play 30 Chapter XXX RoseA
00:07:07
Play 31 Chapter XXXI Jacquerie
00:21:02
Play 32 Chapter XXXII Jacquerie
00:11:36
Play 33 Chapter XXXIII Jacquerie
00:12:24
Play 34 Chapter XXXIV Jacquerie
00:14:27
Play 35 Chapter XXXV Jacquerie
00:19:24
Play 36 Chapter XXXVI Jacquerie
00:07:22
Play 37 Chapter XXXVII Joy Easton
00:03:50
Play 38 Chapter XXXVIII Jacquerie
00:14:04
Play 39 Appendix I Jacquerie
00:20:15
Play 40 Appendix II Jacquerie
00:13:06
Play 41 Appendix III Jacquerie
00:16:24
Play 42 Appendix IV Jacquerie
00:21:24