Description

It was in Emigration Canyon near Salt Lake City that the Donner\Reed Party struggled to blaze a new trail in 1846. Bound for California, they became trapped in deep snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Nearly half of 81 men women and children died of exposure and starvation, and some among the survivors resorted to cannibalism. They are one of the most enduring stories of the West. Why are we telling their story here? Because there are at least four instances when the experiences of the Donner Party impact the Latter-day Saints.