It was on April 16, 1846 when nine of the covered wagons in Springfield, Illinois, was on a 2500 mile journey directing to that of California. This was about to set the greatest tragedy the world would ever witness. Well, at least it was in the history of the migration of the westward. The originator of the group was James Frasier Reed. He then worked as a popular entrepreneur from Illinois and since then, he was very much eager to build fortune. This might have been rich in the California land but it did not stop like that. It was the time when Reed had to hope that his wife, whose name was Margaret, who had to suffer from a real terrible headache. This would have to be responsible for the improvement of the so-called coastal climate. These are all included in the donner party facts. 

Reed got to stumble upon the book The Emigrants Guide to Oregon and California. This was then created by Landsford W. Hastings. He was the one who advertised the said shortcut which was just across the Great basin. The established new route would somehow entice travelers through advertising. It would even save most pioneers 350 to even 400 miles just on an easy terrain. But then, what most do not know is the fact that Reed was only perceived in the Hastings Route. This was never tested. This was written and composed by Hastings. He went with a vision and that was to build and erect an empire which was just solely at the Sutter’s Fort. There was falsified information in here and that laed to the doom and unfortunate events of the Donner Party.

Reed then found that there were others who were seeking for fortune and adventure. This occurred just in the vast West alone. This included the Donner family. The same is also true with the Murphy’s, Graves, Beens, Eddys, Wolfingers, McCutcheons, and even the Kesebergs. There were also seven teamsters for this. The same is also true with a great number of bachelors. The initial group in this sense came with 32 women, men and even children.

James and Margaret Reed come with their four children. These are Patty, Virginia, Thomas and as well as James. There were also two hired servants in connection to this. Sarah Keyes was just so sick during that consumption and that was the time barely walking was not even possible. The mother was not good for the idea of her being separated from her daughter.

As the Donner Party, during that time approached the Sierra Mountains during their summit, pass clogged was stumbled upon. It was then when they were trapped by the snow. The snow had to continue falling. This led to a really deep, even twenty feet-snow. Blizzard conditions were also very evident during that time. Attempting to pass California was no even feasible in such case. This alerted some authorities but it might have been really fated for such to occur.