Almost everyone is familiar with the tragedy of the Donner Party, but few remember that their ill-fated journey began in Springfield, Illinois.
It was April 15, 1846, when brothers George and Jacob Donner, wealthy farmers who lived east of Springfield, departed the city with their families and other emigrants to seek a new life in California. George took his wife, Tamsen, their three daughters, and two daughters from a previous marriage. Jacob took his wife, Elizabeth, and their seven children.
They traveled with James and Margaret Reed and their four children. James Reed was a businessman who had served with Abraham Lincoln in the Black Hawk War. Mary Lincoln was in the crowd behind the Statehouse that day to bid farewell to the 32 travelers. Many had deep ties to the area, and friends and family were sad to see them go.
The Donner Party followed a popular route west and picked up more families along the way. George Donner was named captain of the group, which is why the party of multiple families from multiple states carried his name.
The choice to veer off onto an untested route ultimately doomed them. Early snowstorms and impassable terrain trapped them high in the Sierra Nevada mountains. As food and supplies dwindled, some members resorted to cannibalism. It took four months for rescue expeditions to reach the survivors. Of the 87 pioneers who sought their future in California, only 48 survived.
The Donner brothers and their wives did not make it. George's daughters survived, but only three of Jacob's seven children survived the journey. All of the Reeds survived.
Today, a bronze plaque in Springfield's Lincoln Square marks the point where the Donner Party departed on their tragic journey.
Copy Edited by Eryn Lent
