The Donner Party: A Doomed Journey (Milestones in American History)

Tim McNeese is associate professor of history at York College in York, Nebraska. He earned an associate's degree from York College, a B.A. in history and political science from Harding University, and an M.A. in history from Missouri State University. A prolific author of books for elementary, middle and high school, and college readers, McNeese has published more than 100 books and educational materials in the past 20 years, on everything from the founding of Jamestown to Spanish painters. His writing has earned him a citation in the library reference work Contemporary Authors. In 2006, McNeese appeared on the History Channel program Risk Takers/History Makers: John Wesley Powell and the Grand Canyon. He was a faculty member at the 2006 Tony Hillerman Mystery Writers Conference in Albuquerque, where he presented on the topic of American Indians of the Southwest.

Grade 8–10—McNeese presents a thoroughly researched, clearly written account of the ill-fated Donner Party and the events and decisions that conspired against this early wagon train headed from Springfield, IL, to California. Arranged chronologically, the book describes early migration to the western United States, including a brief portrait of the Stevens Party, whose journey was one of the first to reach the Sacramento Valley. Originally traveling with a much larger party, the Reeds and Donners made the decision to separate from the group and take the Hastings Cutoff to save time, despite numerous warnings. What they didn't know was that Lansford Hastings, the man who wrote the guidebook encouraging this route, had never actually taken it himself. In addition to being severely misinformed, the Donner Party also suffered from personality conflicts, violence, a distrust among members, and plain bad luck, which ultimately led to starvation and cannibalism, described here in ghastly detail. Of the 87 members, only 47 survived. Each of the 11 chapters has a brief essay highlighting political or historical events (such as Manifest Destiny and the Mexican American War), placing them in the context of the journey. Photos, reproductions, drawings, and primary-source documents as well as a detailed chronology make this an excellent resource.—Madeline J. Bryant, Los Angeles Public Library
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