description: The tragedy of the Donner party constitutes one of the most amazing stories of the American West. In 1846 eighty-seven people -- men, women, and children -- set out for California, persuaded to attempt a new overland route. After struggling across the desert, losing many oxen, and nearly dying of thirst, they reached the very summit of the Sierras, only to be trapped by blinding snow and bitter storms. Many perished; some survived by resorting to cannibalism; all were subjected to unbearable suffering. Incorporating the diaries of the survivors and other contemporary documents, George Stewart wrote the definitive history of that ill-fated band of pioneers; an astonishing account of what human beings may endure and achieve in the final press of circumstance.
language: English
title: Ordeal by Hunger
titlecomplete: Ordeal by Hunger
genres: Historical, History, Classics, Survival, Adventure, Biography, American History, 19th Century, Westerns, Nonfiction
ratings_count: 1748
awards: awardedAt: -1072972800000
name: California Book Award
category: Scholarship (Silver)
publisher: Pocket