Read more
Informationen zum Autor Ben Hubbard; Illustrated by Tim Foley Klappentext "In the winter of 1846-47, a group of eighty-seven pioneers heading from the Midwest to California found themselves snowbound in the Sierra Nevada mountain range with no way forward and no food or supplies. While forty-eight of the group members survived, the others perished due to extreme weather, starvation, and illness. To survive, the remaining people resorted to extreme measures ... including cannibalism. Learn about the many miscalculations, bad decisions, and extreme weather that led to the demise of nearly half of the Donner Party in this book for young readers about one of California's first major disasters"-- Leseprobe What Was the Donner Party? In late October 1846, one last push was all that was needed. One last push for the men, women, and children to reach the mountain summit—its highest peak—and cross to the other side. But the pass to the summit was a steep slope covered with several feet of snow. It was too deep for wagons. The group would have to gather their most precious possessions and walk. There were arguments about what to take. Men wanted to bring boxes of tobacco; women insisted on taking rolls of cloth. A man named Charles Stanton urged them to hurry. If more snow fell, the pass would be blocked. Then there would be no way over the mountain. They had to seize their chance now. Finally, in the early afternoon, the group set out. Stanton took two Miwok guides, Luis and Salvador, to scout ahead. They were soon pushing through chest-high snow. With great effort, the men reached the summit. There, they stood high on the Sierra Nevada, a mountain range running through western North America. Below, a vast swath of California stretched out before them. This is the place the group known as the Donner Party had traveled thousands of miles to reach. Their journey from the eastern United States had been one of severe hardships. They had endured treacherous mountains, suffocating desert heat, and an almost impassable shortcut. Now, after six exhausting months, the end was in sight. One last push was all that was needed. Carrying their children and sacks of their belongings, the group struggled in the deep snow. They stepped up and over the top layer only to sink down into it with the next step. Tired and hungry, the group inched forward. Stanton, Luis, and Salvador tracked back down the pass to help the group to the summit. But to their dismay, everyone had stopped. The group was sitting in the snow, seemingly unable to move. Someone had set fire to a pine tree covered with resin. Hands were being warmed in the glow. Above them, the moon shone as the light faded. Luis warned that a ring around the moon meant more snow was coming. More snow would surely block the pass ahead of them. If they were to reach the summit, they must leave now. Stanton pleaded with the group to stand up and start walking. They were so close. Just one last push . . . Chapter 1: Westward Ho! The town of Springfield, Illinois, was alive with activity in April 1846. Families in covered wagons pulled by oxen filled the muddy streets. They were emigrants—people who relocate to settle elsewhere in the hope of better lives—on their way west to California and Oregon. These territories were seen as places where dreams could come true, with warm weather, fertile soil, and enough space for everyone. Thousands of families in the eastern United States made the journey west in the 1840s. They traveled in covered wagons towed by oxen. They were also known as pioneers. The settlers from Illinois would not be traveling alone. They were joining a train of over five hundred wagons in Independence, Missouri, around three hundred miles west. The two wagon trains would meet up and make the 2,500-mile journey together. It woul...
