Lecture Notes: The Donner Party

Key Historical Context and Events

• Spring of 1847: The last relief party arrived, encountering a horrifying scene of cannibalism.
• George Donner: Leader of the Donner Party, found dead with severed and split head.
• Tamsen Donner: His wife, body consumed by Louis Keseberg.
• Louis Keseberg: Last survivor found cooking human remains, later infamously known as the 'murderous cannibal'.

Initial Assumptions and Realizations

• Common Knowledge: Basic idea of Donner Party as pioneers trapped and resorting to cannibalism.
• True Story: Significantly more horrific than commonly known; extensive suffering and cannibalism.
• Donner Themed Town: Modern town with many places named after the Donner Party, creating a juxtaposition of the tragic history and present leisure activities.

Sequence of Events Leading to Disaster

• Delayed Departure: Left the Midwest too late, missing crucial timing advised by guide Lansford Hastings.
• Lansford Hastings: Misguided shortcut 'Hastings Cutoff', added significant hardship and delay.
• Treacherous Journey: Great Salt Lake desert crossing depleted resources, arrival at Truckee Lake in early November under dire conditions.
• Pineapple Express: Meteorological phenomenon leading to heavy snowfall, trapping the party.

Struggle for Survival

• Snowshoe Party: Group attempting to reach help, faces severe conditions, multiple deaths including some from cannibalism.
• Desperate Cannibalism: Starving members consumed the bodies of the deceased, including family members without realizing full ramifications.
• Miwok Guides: Two Native Americans, Louie and Salvador, killed and eaten by desparate members of the group.

Rescue Attempts and Aftermath

• Rescuers and Relief Parties: Multiple expeditions to rescue survivors with varying success.
• Psychological Trauma: Surviving the ordeal left deep psychological scars on the survivors.
• Modern Reflection: Modern Donner town seems to largely underplay the cannibalism angle despite its intense historical weight.

Cannibalism Analysis

• Different Types: Explored various forms including mortuary, symbolic, and survival cannibalism.
• Survival Cannibalism: Primary type practiced by the Donner Party as a desperate means to stay alive.
• Sociocultural Context: Highlighted how these acts arise under extreme circumstances.

The Legacy of the Donner Party

• Museum and Memorial: Donner Museum (rebranded as Emigrant Trail Museum) with focus on the historical context, presents mixed public reactions.
• Cannibalism Focus: Thought-provoking dialogue on the presentation and public interpretation of the cannibalism aspect.
• Historical Relevance: Emphasizes contemporary relevance, connecting audience to the human aspect behind historical events.