History of the Donner Party: A Tragedy of the Sierra

Originally published in 1880, McGlashan’s History of the Donner Party remains in steady demand as an authoritative account of the tragic episode. The editors have added newly discovered information and photographs to their foreword, which is based on material in family documents and on the authors own recollections.

The name of the Donner Party has come to symbolize the struggle of all pioneers, for the Donner experiences were the acme of horror, despair, and suffering. This chronicle is a towering tribute to the band of pioneers who struggled over deserts and the High Sierra toward California during the rugged winter of 1846-47. The disasters they endured form a bold contrast to the comfort and safety of the present-day Donner Lake region.

Mr. McGlashan was a contemporary of the Donner Party’s children. From the many survivors of the expedition whom he knew and interviewed, from a personal knowledge of the route followed, from more than a thousand letters written to him by survivors, and from consultations with still-living authors of older works on the subject. McGlashan was able to verify the facts and write a book from the point of view of the survivors themselves.