Donner+Party

Type in the content of your page here. 1.My topic is the donner party 2.What I already know: Who?The donner party What?The donner party went west and got caught in the mountains in the snow Where?In the mountains west Why?I don't know When?During westward expansion How?I don't know 3.What I want to know: Who?Who were the donners What?What happened Where?What mountains did this happen in When?When in the westward expansion did it occur Why?Why did they go west How?How did they get stuck My research strategy: Who?I can ask Ms.Brem or Ms.Horn What?I can look up stuff Where? I can look on the computer When? I can work during school. Why?I'm doing this for school How?How will I do my project

The Donner Party influenced westward expansion because it was one of the biggest tragedies of the time. The Donner Party started out as a simple group of settlers looking to go to California, but got much more trouble than they expected.
 * __Research paper draft.__**

The Donner party was a group of settlers heading for California during the time of westward expansion. The group was lead by George Donner, a farmer from Illinois and consisted of 27 men 17 women and 43 children. The group, which was already tense after incidents such as murder and disease were forced to make the decision of which route to take to get to California.They ultimately decided that the best way to go would be through the Sierra Nevada. A man had made a book on the west and said that through the Sierra Nevada would be the best way to get to California; but the man had never acyually gone through and was just guessing that it was the best way. Taking this false advice, the Donner party went into the Sierra and towards their doom.

When the Donner Party went into the Sierra Nevada they got stuck in the snow and became stranded there.a lot of their food had been used and they were almost out and they couldn't find and catch any animals to eat. with people starving and freezing it seemed as if there was no hope left. In desparation, they chose 15 of the strongest people and 2 indian guides to go find help; eventually the group got lost in the mountains and ran out of the food thy had brought with them. 5 of the members of the group died and so the others decided to eat them in order to live, but the indians refused and were shot and eaten aswell. finaly there were only 6 people left in the group and it seemed as if there was no hope left for anyone anymore.

A mna from the forlorn hope named william eddy somehow survived and made it to a camp and was able to get help from a man named james reed. Reed sent a rescue partty to save the rest of the members of the forlorn hope and got them safely. A second party was sent to help the rest of the party, who had also had many losses and had turned to canabalism in order to survive.when a third releif party came the only eprson left was a german named Keseburg.

the Donnwer party was a horrible accident that could have been avoided. many died and it is a shame on american history. the Donner party remains one of the biggest tragedies ever to occur in the american west.