Desperate Passage: The Donner Party's Perilous Journey West, (Paperback)

from noblechicken

Good account of the Donner party. I learned a lot about the subject that was otherwise just a generalization to me. Despite what happened, many people survived, but WOW, the trial by extreme nature is really intense. Snow 15 plus feet deep, and imagine trying to live in that condition, with whole...

from creighley

This is a remarkable tale of survival under the most extreme conditions. In October of 1846, the last westward wagon train of the year, stops before it's final ascent across the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Unaware of the impending storm and ignorant of the brutal winters here, 81 men, women, and chi...

from SuzyK222

Well-researched, based mostly on primary and secondary sources, this book brings new archaelogical evidence to bear on the often sensationalized westward venture. The book presents a vivid picture of the tough decisions, not to mention the rugged country faced by the last group to head west over ...

from coolmama

Really well written, quite straight forward and matter of fact history of the Donner Reed Family. I was initially attracted to it as it stated that it was based on new archeaological evidence, but I did not find too much that I had not read about - except the bones at the campsites. Well research...

from catzkc

This proved to be quite a lively, detailed and sympathetic but honest account of the entire journey west of what came to be infamously known as The Donner Party. Granted, before reading this I had only been exposed to the sketchiest of details regarding the Donner Party, so I can't truly attest t...