who made the route that the donner party took
Hastings told people the desert was only 40 miles across and that they would find water after 24 hours. It was in fact 82 miles wide and water was only to be found after 48 hours of travelling. Hastings told the Donner Party that three wagon trains had already opted for this route. As they had made poor time the Donner Party decided to take the risk of taking the Hastings Cutoff. The Donner Party was the worst disaster in wagon train history. Forty-two emigrants and two Indian guides had died. However, the remaining forty-seven travellers survived.