History of the Donner party
Subtitle: a tragedy of the Sierra
By: By C. F. McGlashan.
Contributors: A.L. Bancroft & Company.
Edition: 2d ed. illustated.
Publisher: Bancroft
Published: 1880
Place of publication: San Francisco, [Calif]
Language: eng
Number of pages: 261
Subjects: Overland journeys to the Pacific; Donner Party
Table of contents: label: CHAPTER I
pagenum: 15
title: Donner Lake — A Famous Tourist Resort — Building the Central Pacific — California's Skating Park — The Pioneers — The Organization of the Donner Party — Ho! for California! — A Mammoth Train — The Dangers by the Way — False Accounts of the Sufferings Endured — Complete Roll of the Company — Impostors Claiming to Belong to the Party — Killed by the Pawnees — An Alarmed Camp — Resin Indians — A Mother's Death; label: CHAPTER II
pagenum: 24
title: Mrs. Donner's Letters — Life on the Plains — An Interesting Sketch — The Outfit Required— The Platte River— Botanizing— Five Hundred and Eighteen Wagons for California— Burning "Buffalo Chips"— The Fourth of July at Fort Laramie — Indian Discipline — Sioux Attempt to Purchase Mary Graves — George Donner Elected Captain — Letter of Stanton — Dissension — One Company Split up into Five — The Fatal Hastings Cut-off — Lowering Wagons over a Precipice — The First View of Great Salt Lake; label: CHAPTER III
pagenum: 34
title: A Grave of Salt — Members of the Mystic Tie — Twenty Wells — A Desolate Alkaline Waste — Abandoned on the Desert — A Night of Horror — A Steer Maddened by Thirst — The Mirage — Yoking an Ox and a Cow — "Cacheing" Goods — The Emigrants' Silent Logic — A Cry for Relief — Two Heroic Volunteers — A Perilous Journey — Letters to Captain Sutler; label: CHAPTER IV
pagenum: 41
title: Gravelly Ford— The Character of James F. Reed— Causes which Led to the Reed-Snyder Tragedy— John Snyder's Popularity— The Fatal Altercation—Conflicting Statements of Survivors— Snyder's Death— A Brave Girl— A Primitive Trial— A Court of Final Resort— Verdict of Banishment — A Sad Separation — George and Jacob Donner Ahead at the Time — Finding Letters in Split Sticks— Danger of Starvation; label: CHAPTER V
pagenum: 51
title: Great Hardships— The Sink of the Humboldt— Indians Stealing Cattle— An Entire Company Compelled to Walk— Abandoned to Die— Wolfinger Murdered — Rhinehart's Confession — Arrival of C. T. Stanton— A Temporary Relief— A Fatal Accident— The Sierra Nevada Mountains — Imprisoned in Snow — Struggles for Freedom — A Hopeless Situation — Digging for Cattle in Snow — How the Breen Cabin Happened to be Built— A Thrilling Sketch of a Solitary Winter— Putting up Shelters— The Donners Have Nothing but Tents— Fishing for Trout; label: CHAPTER VI
pagenum: 64
title: Endeavors to Cross the Mountains — Discouraging Failures — Eddy Kills a Bear — Making Snow-Shoes — Who composed the "Forlorn Hope" — Mary A. Graves — An Irishman — A Generous Act — Six Days' Rations —Mary Graves' Account— Snow-Blind—C. T. Stanton's Death— "I Am Coming Soon" — Sketch of Stanton's Early Life — His Charity and Self-sacrifice — The Diamond Breast-pin — Stanton's Last Poem; label: CHAPTER VII
pagenum: 78
title: A Wife's Devotion— The Smoky Gorge— Caught in a Storm— Casting Lots to See Who should Die — A Hidden River — The Delirium of Starvation —Franklin Ward Graves— His Dying Advice— A Frontiersman's Plan— The Camp of Death — A Dread Resort — A Sister's Agony — The Indians Refuse to Eat— Lewis and Salvador Flee for Their Lives— Killing a Deer— Tracks Marked by Blood— Nine Days without Food; label: CHAPTER VIII
pagenum: 89
title: Starvation at Donner Lake — Preparing Rawhide for Food — Eating the Fire- rug — Shoveling Snow off the Beds — Playing they were Tea-cups of Custard — A Starving Baby — Pleading with Silent Eloquence — Patrick Breen's Diary — Jacob Donner's Death — A Child's Vow — A Christmas Dinner — Lost on the Summits — A Stump Twenty-two Feet High — Seven Nursing Babes at Donner Lake — A Devout Father — A Dying Boy — Sorrow and Suffering at the Cabins; label: CHAPTER IX
pagenum: 105
title: The Last Resort — Two Reports of a Gun— Only Temporary Relief— Weary Traveling — The Snow Bridges — Human Tracks! — An Indian Rancherie — Acorn Bread — Starving Five Times! — Carried Six Miles — Bravery of John Rhodes — A Thirty-two Days' Journey — Organizing the First Relief Party — Alcalde Sinclair's Address — Capt R. P. Tucker's Companions; label: CHAPTER X
pagenum: 113
title: A Lost Age in California History — The Change Wrought by the Discovery of Gold — The Start from Johnson's Ranch — A Bucking Horse — A Night Ride — Lost in the Mountains — A Terrible Night — A Flooded Camp — Crossing a Mountain Torrent — Mule Springs — A Crazy Companion — Howlings of Gray Wolves — A Deer Rendezvous — A Midnight Thief— Frightening Indians — The Diary of the First Relief Party; label: CHAPTER XI
pagenum: 121
title: Hardships of Reed and Herron — Generosity of Captain Sutter — Attempts to Cross the Mountains with Provisions — Curtis' Dog — Compelled to Turn Back — Hostilities with Mexico — Memorial to Gov. Stockton — Yerba Buena's Generosity — Johnson's Liberality — Pitiful Scenes at Donner Lake — Noble Mothers — Dying rather than Eat Human Flesh — A Mother's Prayer — Tears of Joy — Eating the Shoestrings; label: CHAPTER XII
pagenum: 137
title: A Wife's Devotion — Tamsen Donner's Early Life — The Early Settlers of Sangamon County — An Incident in School — Teaching and Knitting — School Discipline— Capt. George Donner's Appearance— Parting Scenes at Alder Creek — Starting over the Mountains — A Baby's Death — A Mason's Vow — Crossing the Snow Barrier — More Precious than Gold or Diamonds — Elitha Donner's Kindness; label: CHAPTER XIII
pagenum: 148
title: Death of Ada Keseberg — Denton Discovering Gold — A Poem Composed while Dying — The Caches of Provisions Robbed by Fishers — The Sequel to the Reed-Snyder Tragedy — Death from Overeating — The Agony of Frozen Feet — An Interrupted Prayer — Stanton, after Death, Guides the Relief Party! — The Second Relief Party Arrives — A Solitary Indian — Patty Reed and Her Father — Starving Children Lying in Bed — Mrs Graves' Money still Buried at Donner Lake; label: CHAPTER XIV
pagenum: 163
title: Leaving Three Men in the Mountains — The Emigrants Quite Helpless — Bear Tracks in the Snow — The Clumps of Tamarack — Wounding a Bear — Blood Stains upon the Snow — A Weary Chase — A Momentous Day — Stone and Cady Leave the Sufferers — A Mother Offering Five Hundred Dollars — Mrs Donner Parting from her Children — "God will Take Care of You" — Buried in Snow without Food or Fire — Pines Uprooted by the Storm— A Grave Cut in the Snow — The Cub's Cave — Firing at Random — A Desperate Undertaking — Preparing for a Hand-to-hand Battle — Precipitated into the Cave — Seizing the Bear — Mrs Elizabeth Donner's Death — Clarke and Baptiste Attempt to Escape —A Death, more Cruel than Starvation; label: CHAPTER XV
pagenum: 170
title: A Mountain Storm — Provisions Exhausted — Battling the Storm Fiends — Black Despair— Icy Coldness — A Picture of Desolation — The Sleep of Death— A Piteous Farewell — Falling into the Fire-well — Isaac Donner's Death — Living upon Snow Water — Excruciating Pain — A Vision of Angels— "Patty is Dying!"— The Thumb of a Mitten— A Child's Treasures— The "Dolly" of the Donner Party; label: CHAPTER XVI
pagenum: 183
title: A Mother at Starved Camp — Repeating the Litany — Hoping in Despair — Wasting Away — The Precious Lump of Sugar — "James is Dying" — Restoring a Life— Relentless Hunger— The Silent Night Vigils— The Sight of Earth — Descending the Snow Pit — The Flesh of the Dead — Refusing to Eat — The Morning Star — The Mercy of God — The Mutilated Forms — The Dizziness of Delirium — Faith Rewarded — "There is Mrs Breen."; label: CHAPTER XVII
pagenum: 191
title: The Rescue — California Aroused — A Yerba Buena Newspaper — Tidings of Woe — A Cry of Distress — Noble Generosity — Subscriptions for the Donner Party — The First and Second Reliefs — Organization of the Third— The Dilemma— Voting to Abandon a Family— The Fatal Ayes— John Stark's Bravery — Carrying the Starved Children — A Plea for the Relief Party; label: CHAPTER XVIII
pagenum: 199
title: Arrival of the Third Relief — The Living and the Dead — Captain George Donner Dying — Mrs Murphy's Words — Foster and Eddy at the Lake — Tamsen Donner and Her Children — A Fearful Struggle — The Husband's Wishes — Walking Fourteen Miles — Wifely Devotion — Choosing Death — The Night Journey — An Unparalleled Ordeal — An Honored Name— Three Little Waifs— "And Our Parents are Dead."; label: CHAPTER XIX
pagenum: 205
title: False Ideas about the Donner Party — Accused of Six Murders — Interviews with Lewis Keseberg — His Statement — An Educated German — A Predestined Fate — Keseberg's Lameness — Slanderous Reports — Covered with Snow — "Loathsome, Insipid, and Disgusting" — Longings toward Suicide — Tamsen Donner's Death — Going to Get the Treasure — Suspended over a Hidden Stream — "Where is Donner's Money?" — Extorting a Confession; label: CHAPTER XX
pagenum: 216
title: Dates of the Rescues— Arrival of the Fourth Relief— A Scene Beggaring Description— The Wealth of the Donners — An Appeal to the Highest Court — A Dreadful Shock — Saved from a Grizzly Bear — A Trial for Slander — Keseberg Vindicated— Two Kettles of Human Blood — The Enmity of the Relief Party— "Born under an Evil Star"— "Stone Him! Stone Him!"— Fire and Flood— Keseberg's Reputation for Honesty — A Prisoner in His Own House — The Most Miserable of Men; label: CHAPTER XXI
pagenum: 225
title: Sketch of Gen. John A. Sutter — The Donner Party's Benefactor — The Least and Most that Earth can Bestow — The Survivors' Request — His Birth and Parentage — Efforts to Reach California — New Helvetia — A Puny Army — Uninviting Isolation — Ross and Bodega — Unbounded Generosity— Sutler's Wealth— Effect of the Gold Fever— Wholesale Robbery — The Sobrante Decision — A "Genuine and Meritorious" Grant— Utter Ruin— Hock Farm— Gen. Sutter's Death— Mrs. E. P. Houghton's Tribute; label: CHAPTER XXII
pagenum: 236
title: The Death List— The Forty-two Who Perished— Names of Those Saved— Forty-eight Survivors — Traversing Snow-belt Five Times — Burying the Dead — An Appalling Spectacle — Tamsen Donner's Last Act of Devotion — A Remarkable Proposal — Twenty-six Present Survivors — McCutchen — Keseberg — The Graves Family — The Murphys — Naming Marysville— The Reeds— The Breens; label: CHAPTER XXIII
pagenum: 247
title: The Orphan Children of George and Tamsen Donner — Sutter, the Philanthropist— "If Mother Would Only Come "—Christian and Mary Brunner— An Enchanting Home— "Can't You Keep Both of Us?"— Eliza Donner Crossing the Torrent— Earning a Silver Dollar— The Gold Excitement— Getting an Education— Elitha C. Donner— Leanna C. Donner— Frances E. Donner— Georgia A. Donner— Eliza P. Donner; label: CHAPTER XXIV
pagenum: 253
title: Yerba Buena's Gift to George and Mary Donner— An Alcalde's Negligence — Mary Donner's Land Regranted — Squatters Jump George Donner's Land — A Characteristic Land Law-suit — Vexatious Litigation — Twice Appealed to Supreme Court, and once to United States Supreme Court — A Well-taken Law Point — Mutilating Records — A Palpable Erasure — Relics of the Donner Party — Five Hundred Articles Buried Thirty- two Years — Knives, Forks, Spoons — Pretty Porcelain — Identifying Chinaware — Beads and Arrow-heads — A Quaint Bridle-bit — Remarkable Action of Rust— A Flint-Lock Pistol— A Baby's Shoe— The Resting Place of the Dead — Vanishing Land-marks