[ENCORE] FRONTIER TRAGEDY Ep. 1 | Donner Party, Part 1

Summary

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Podcast Summary:

Legends of the Old West
Host: Chris Wimmer (Black Barrel Media)
Episode: [ENCORE] FRONTIER TRAGEDY Ep. 1 | Donner Party, Part 1
Date: January 7, 2026

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Overview: Main Theme and Purpose

This episode launches a four-part series exploring the harrowing story of the Donner Party—a wagon train of pioneers whose westward journey to California in 1846 ended in one of America’s most infamous tragedies. Host Chris Wimmer sets the stage by recounting the final grisly rescue mission, the ambitions and missteps that led to disaster, the personalities involved, and the growing pressures that would turn an ordinary migration into a national nightmare.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Tragic Legacy of the Donner Party

• The episode opens with the grim scene of the last Donner Party rescue attempt in April 1847, painting a vivid picture of what rescuers found atop the Sierra Nevada after months of snowbound isolation.
• Louis Keseberg is found as the last survivor in a camp littered with bones and “dismembered corpses.” (04:04)
• Quote:
  “The reason would haunt Louis Keseburg for the rest of his life.” (05:04, Narrator)
• The immediate aftermath: Only 45 out of 81 who entered the mountains survived; the tale shocks the nation and solidifies the Donner Party’s place as a symbol of frontier tragedy.

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2. Who Were the Donner Party?

• The Donners and Reeds, prosperous Illinois families, decided to chase opportunities offered by Manifest Destiny and California’s rumored bounty.
• George Donner and his brother Jacob were well-off, elderly farmers seeking new prospects; James Reed was an ambitious but financially troubled businessman, whose bankruptcy was handled by a young Abraham Lincoln. (09:05)
  • Quote:
    “His lawyer for the bankruptcy process was a tall, gangly fella named Abraham Lincoln.” (09:08, Narrator)
• Land fever and the promise of a shortcut fueled their journey west.

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3. The Hastings Cutoff – The Fatal Shortcut

• Lansford Hastings, author of The Immigrant’s Guide to Oregon and California, promoted a new “shortcut”—the Hastings Cutoff. (12:42)
• Critical insight:
  Hastings hadn’t actually traveled the route; it was theoretical at best.
  • “The Hastings cutoff, as it would be known, was just a theory.” (13:35, Chris Wimmer)
• The shortcut’s promise of time saved was irresistible, but would prove disastrous for the Donners and Reeds.

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4. Preparation and Departure: A Series of Miscalculations

• Late start: The party departs Springfield, IL, April 14th, 1846—already more than a month behind schedule. (16:14–17:06)
• Reed’s financial troubles cause further delays; he discreetly prepares his family’s supplies before creditors can intervene.
• Their lateness compounds at Independence, Missouri, where most wagon trains have already left, meaning tired animals and little rest for their own group.

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5. Delays and Early Hardships on the Trail

• After joining the massive Russell wagon train, the group faces rising rivers, funerals (Mrs. Reed’s mother dies), raft building, and wagon mishaps—delaying them repeatedly.
• Memorable moment:
  “Everyone’s nerves were frayed, and there were a couple fist fights. But on June 1, the party was able to resume its journey.” (23:34, Narrator)
• Five days lost at Big Blue River, but the group remains optimistic; spirits lift as they make steady miles toward Fort Laramie.

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6. Tensions and Leadership Changes

• On the way, hunter and group dynamics create tension (a minor feud between Reed and others, wasteful buffalo hunts).
• After further delays (including a failed child amputation—tragically performed by journalist Edwin Bryant), Colonel Russell resigns as leader due to frustration over lack of progress and discipline. (27:49–28:03)
• Lilburn Boggs (former Missouri governor) becomes new leader.

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7. The Crossroads: Choosing the Fateful Path

• Fort Bernard: The looming decision—follow the well-traveled Oregon Trail or risk the untested Hastings Cutoff. (30:18–32:00)
• At a campfire, seasoned mountain man James Clyman warns Reed and company to avoid the Hastings route, calling it “barely passable by foot, virtually impossible with wagons.”
• Reed, still enchanted by Hastings’ promise, advocates for the shortcut—setting the stage for the split that creates the Donner Party as history remembers it.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “There were ragged shelters that didn’t look fit for cockroaches, let alone people. There were bones of animals and humans all over the place, and there were dismembered corpses in the snow.” (03:36, Chris Wimmer)
• “81 people went into the Sierra Nevada mountains in the winter of 1846. Only 45 came out and the story of their survival shocked the nation.” (05:09–05:22, Chris Wimmer/Narrator)
• “If he could personally persuade thousands of Americans to settle in Alta California, he could foment a bloodless revolution against Mexico…” (12:45, Chris Wimmer on Lansford Hastings)
• “They should reach Independence by April 1...But they didn’t leave until April 14th. On day one of the trip, the Donner party was already more than a month behind schedule.” (16:49–17:06, Chris Wimmer)
• “Kleiman knew the territory of the Hastings cut off and he warned his old friend that the route was barely passable by foot and was virtually impossible with wagons.” (31:18, Narrator)
• “That split would be the birth of the Donner Party as we know it.” (32:04, Narrator)

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Timestamps for Critical Segments

• 02:06–05:09: The final rescue, state of the Donner camp, introduction to the tragedy.
• 06:05–09:23: The Donners and Reeds: backgrounds, motivations, and link to Abraham Lincoln.
• 12:40–13:41: Lansford Hastings and the origins of the fatal shortcut.
• 16:14–18:09: The group’s delayed start and immediate consequences.
• 19:31–21:13: Challenges with other wagon trains, deaths, further delays.
• 23:34–24:15: "Frayed nerves," recovery, and return to the trail after raft mishaps.
• 27:49–29:11: Leadership struggles, shifting command to Lilburn Boggs.
• 30:18–32:04: Debates over route choice, warnings from experienced mountain men, and the impending split.

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Summary & Next Episode Tease

The episode masterfully weaves the backstory, motivations, optimism, and mounting pressure that drove the Donner Party into legend—and infamy. Chris Wimmer foreshadows the consequences of their fateful choice and promises that the next episode will cover the critical decision point and an escalation of disaster.

“Next time on Legends of the Old West… the Donner party makes its choice between the Oregon Trail and the Hastings Cutoff—and pays for it dearly.” (32:04–32:32, Chris Wimmer/Narrator)

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This episode captures the dread, ambition, and miscalculation at the heart of the Donner Party—and serves as an engrossing prologue to the tragedy that will unfold.

Transcript

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[Chris Wimmer]

In mid April 1847, seven men set out from Johnson's ranch in Yuba County, California. William Johnson had bought the massive 22,000 acre ranch at auction two years earlier, and that space is now occupied by the city of Wheatland, California, about 45.

[Narrator]

Minutes north of Sacramento.

[Chris Wimmer]

For exhausted immigrants who had survived the.

[Narrator]

Trip to the west and successfully crossed.

[Chris Wimmer]

The Sierra Nevada mountains into California, Johnson's Ranch was the first place of civilization.

[Narrator]

Sutter's Fort, the village founded by John Sutter further down the road near modern day Sacramento, was more well known.

[Chris Wimmer]

But if travelers reached Johnson's Ranch, they knew they were home free. They had made it. Conversely, for people who wanted to leave.

[Narrator]

The Sacramento Valley and cross the mountains.

[Chris Wimmer]

Into Nevada, Johnson's Ranch was the last.

[Narrator]

Stop before they had to brave the.

[Chris Wimmer]

Wilderness that could kill them in a hundred different ways. The seven men who left Johnson's ranch in April 1847 were on a rescue mission it was the fourth and final rescue mission of its kind, and the men were not optimistic that they would find any survivors. By that time, anyone who was still alive at the camps near Truckee Lake.

[Narrator]

Now Donner Lake, had been trapped up there for five months. They would be in terrible condition and they would have done unspeakable things to maintain even that condition.

[Chris Wimmer]

Rescuers who had already been in the camps had seen evidence of those unspeakable things. The reports that came out later made the camps of the Donner Party sound like they had been attacked by particularly vicious bands of Native American warriors. There were ragged shelters that didn't look fit for cockroaches, let alone people. There were bones of animals and humans all over the place, and there were dismembered corpses in the snow. The seven men who trekked to the camps in mid April trudged through slushy mud, muddy melting snow for four days until they arrived at a sorry excuse for a cabin on the edge of Truckee Lake. It was about 20 miles northwest of Lake Tahoe, on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. They searched for survivors and found none. They moved on to the second campsite and again found no one. They camped for the night. The next day they hiked to their last stop, a ramshackle one room cabin. They pushed open its door and at first everything was still, but then there was movement. Huddled under some blankets in a corner was a shivering shell of a man. As the rescuers moved closer, they stepped on a nest of human bones. The man told them his name was Louis Keseberg and he was the last survivor in the camp. He knew he was the last for a reason that would soon become clear.

[Narrator]

The reason would haunt Louis Keseburg for the rest of his life.

[Chris Wimmer]

And it would help make his group.

[Narrator]

Of travelers, the Donner Party, infamous for all time. 81 people went into the Sierra Nevada mountains in the winter of 1846.

[Chris Wimmer]

Only 45 came out and the story.

[Narrator]

Of their survival shocked the nation. From Black Barrel Media, this is Legends of the Old West. I'm your host, Chris Wimmer, and this.

[Chris Wimmer]

Season we're bringing you the disturbing stories.

[Narrator]

Of the Donner Party and the Bender family, a murderous clan who were known as the Bloody Benders.

[Chris Wimmer]

This is episode one, the Donner Party.

[Narrator]

Part one of four A bad start. In the spring of 1846, exactly one.

[Chris Wimmer]

Year before the final rescue mission into the Sierra Nevadas, the people who made up the group that would be known as the Donner Party were just a.

[Narrator]

Small portion of the 3,000 or so immigrants who headed for California or Oregon that year.

[Chris Wimmer]

The common denominator among all of them.

[Narrator]

Was land and their desire to possess it.

[Chris Wimmer]

The term Manifest Destiny had been coined the year before and it touched off.

[Narrator]

A half century of massive migration to western territories. But whatever their backgrounds or religions or jobs, every potential traveler to the west.

[Chris Wimmer]

Knew it was better to go in a group. Everyone was equally vulnerable.

[Narrator]

On the long trail from Missouri to.

[Chris Wimmer]

What was called Alta California by the.

[Narrator]

Mexican government, there was harsh weather, rough terrain, loneliness, and the ever present specter of Indian attacks.

[Chris Wimmer]

Immigrants couldn't even be totally sure about the stability of their final destination. Mexico and the United States were fighting.

[Narrator]

Over California even as the Donner party prepared its wagons.

[Chris Wimmer]

But the story of the Donner party and the other families on the trip began months before they climbed into those wagons.

[Narrator]

The Donners were well off financially.

[Chris Wimmer]

They had 240 acres of land in Illinois filled with fruit trees and vegetables of every kind. George Donner was a farmer. By the late 1830s, he had already lived in North Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana and even Texas before landing in Springfield, Illinois. His wife Tamsin raised the children, helped on the farm, and found time to work as a schoolteacher. She was extremely well read and an amateur botanist. George's brother Jacob lived nearby. Jacob was also a prosperous farmer. George and Jacob had made enough money in Springfield that they could live out their last decades in comfort.

[Narrator]

Even by modern standards, both men were old to embark on a trip to the West.

[Chris Wimmer]

They were already in their 60s when they decided to make the journey. But with all the good news pouring in about so much rich land in California, they started to get itchy feet. And as 1845 turned to 1846 and the freezing Illinois snow piled up outside, they wondered what would it be like to never have to worry about cold and snow again. That driving thought was one of several ironies that would play out over the next two years.

[Narrator]

It was in Springfield that George Donner met James Reid.

[Chris Wimmer]

At 44, the Irish born Reed was a prosperous businessman. Ten years earlier, he'd married a widow.

[Narrator]

Named Margaret and they had several children. James had done well with several businesses, but most people didn't know that he was overextended. He'd invested a lot in Illinois's railroad expansion, but those projects went bust in.

[Chris Wimmer]

The panic of 1837.

[Narrator]

Reid played one business against the other until 1845, but he could do it no longer. He quietly filed for bankruptcy. His lawyer for the bankruptcy process was a tall, gangly fella named Abraham Lincoln.

[Chris Wimmer]

Who was two years away from becoming a US congressman and 15 years away.

[Narrator]

From becoming President of the United States.

[Chris Wimmer]

No one knows for sure how George.

[Narrator]

Donner and James Reed met.

[Chris Wimmer]

George was somewhat affable and mellow. Reed was somewhat hot headed and quick to say whatever popped into his mind. But in 1845, the two men had.

[Narrator]

One thing in common. Land fever.

[Chris Wimmer]

And it may have started with a book called the Immigrant's Guide to Oregon.

[Narrator]

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[Chris Wimmer]

Lansford Hastings wrote.

[Narrator]

The Immigrant's Guide to Oregon and California.

[Chris Wimmer]

A lawyer by training, the 26 year old Hastings also had land fever. But more than land, he wanted power. He had traveled from his home state of Ohio to Oregon and Alta California, then still a republic of Mexico and some places in between. Hastings got an idea. If he could personally persuade thousands of Americans to settle in Alta California, he could foment a bloodless revolution against Mexico and worm his way into high political office, maybe even a governorship. But to have his name attached as the leader of the effort, he needed to make sure it was attached to a faster way to get to Sacramento Valley. In his book, Hastings described California in the most glowing terms possible, given its climate and soil. He didn't have to take many liberties with the truth, if any, but he did take a liberty with something that.

[Narrator]

Was much more important.

[Chris Wimmer]

The road to get to California. He wrote of the new trail. He discovered a shortcut that would reduce the journey by 200 miles or more. The problem was he had never actually used it. The Hastings cut off, as it would be known, was just a theory. When Hastings published his book, the first time he traveled the road that would bear his name was in the spring and summer of 1846, right before the Donner party used it. Hastings book and his shortcut was a big factor that convinced the Donners and the Reeds to make the trip. It would be a painful lesson about things that sounded too good to be true. But of course, the Donners and Reeds knew nothing of those problems. In the winter of 1845, they were dead set on moving to California, and they wasted no time selling their farms and businesses. The Donners placed an ad for strong.

[Narrator]

Young men to join them. They gathered goods, surplus cash, letters of recommendation, and things to barter with the Indians.

[Chris Wimmer]

James Reed tried very hard to get.

[Narrator]

His bankruptcy lawyer, Abraham Lincoln, to come with him.

[Chris Wimmer]

Lincoln gave it some serious thought, but he declined. Instead, he arranged for all of Reed's.

[Narrator]

Remaining assets to be sold at public auction later that summer.

[Chris Wimmer]

As the Reeds and Donners continued to.

[Narrator]

Research their trip, they used more than Landsford's Immigrants Guide, like so Many others. They gathered information from their church and from maps and reference books.

[Chris Wimmer]

And they also consulted first hand accounts from John C. Fremont's expeditions which were.

[Narrator]

Guided by a trailblazer named Kit Carson.

[Chris Wimmer]

Like Fremont's accounts, Lansford Hastings book didn't mention any of the potential pitfalls in his route. Fremont had at least a passable excuse for the omissions.

[Narrator]

His earliest expeditions went smoothly.

[Chris Wimmer]

He really didn't face any of the.

[Narrator]

Hardships that had plagued other travelers.

[Chris Wimmer]

He wasn't lying about his experiences, but he gave readers a false sense of security that the journey westward was safe and easy. Hastings omission was worse. He knew he was selling people a theory about an untested, unproven road.

[Narrator]

By the time the Donner party learned.

[Chris Wimmer]

The truth, it would be too late, which was a recurring theme of their trip.

[Narrator]

And it started right from the beginning.

[Chris Wimmer]

The journey began on April 14, 1846.

[Narrator]

Several Corps families led by George and Tamsen Donner left Springfield, Illinois with a.

[Chris Wimmer]

Goal of Independence, Missouri, 250 miles away.

[Narrator]

Independence was the start of the fabled.

[Chris Wimmer]

Oregon Trail and it was considered the.

[Narrator]

True jumping off point for all expeditions to the west. The problem was the Donner party was already late.

[Chris Wimmer]

A friend of James Reeds told him.

[Narrator]

Repeatedly that their caravan should plan to.

[Chris Wimmer]

Reach independence by April 1. That meant they needed to leave Springfield by the second week of March at the very latest. But they didn't leave until April 14th. On day one of the trip, the.

[Narrator]

Donner party was already more than a month behind schedule.

[Chris Wimmer]

The Reeds and the Donners probably knew it wasn't ideal, but James Reed didn't have his financial issues settled. For whatever reason, Reid didn't or couldn't sign his bankruptcy papers until April 13, 1846. That same day, Reed he smuggled 300 pounds of bacon and two barrels of pickled pork into a wagon. He didn't want his creditors to see that he was preparing to flee the area. So the party left the next day, April 14, and didn't arrive in Independence until May 10. It was the first of many late starts and miscalculations on the way to the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. The party consisted of a large number of animals and wagons, including Reed's very fancy ark like two story wagon that they called the palace car. The wagon drew respect or laughter from.

[Narrator]

Almost everyone they met.

[Chris Wimmer]

When they finally made it to Independence, Missouri, the caravan quickly understood why they.

[Narrator]

Should have left Illinois earlier. The bulk of the groups bound for California and Oregon that had flooded Independence.

[Chris Wimmer]

In the previous weeks had Already set.

[Narrator]

Out for the west, those groups had.

[Chris Wimmer]

Spent a week or two in Independence.

[Narrator]

They were rested and more importantly, their animals were rested.

[Chris Wimmer]

Horses, cattle and oxen were critical for both food and transportation on the trail. With a week or two to graze in Independence, they were fattened up and.

[Narrator]

Ready for the journey into the sprawling.

[Chris Wimmer]

Landscape of the great unknown.

[Narrator]

The Donner Reed Party, as it was called at that point, was tired.

[Chris Wimmer]

They only had a day and a half in Independence to rest, make repairs.

[Narrator]

And gather more supplies.

[Chris Wimmer]

They quickly packed enough food for four.

[Narrator]

Months on the trail about what the.

[Chris Wimmer]

Trip to San Francisco should take. They wanted to catch up with the rest of the wagon trains so they hustled out of independence. On May 12, they were among the very last to begin the journey west. The group traveled on their own for a few days before crossing the Missouri state line.

[Narrator]

A week later they caught up with.

[Chris Wimmer]

A group of 50 wagons led by William Henry Russell.

[Narrator]

Most recently, Russell was a marshal for the vast district of Missouri.

[Chris Wimmer]

Russell's party was huge. It had 290 men, women and children plus about 700 cattle and 150 horses.

[Narrator]

The Donner Reed party added roughly 90 people to the caravan. Because of Russell's service in the Black Hawk War, he carried the courtesy title of Colonel. Colonel Russell allowed the Donner Reed team to join his own party. Also in the new party was journalist Edwin Bryant. As Bryant wrote in his journal, he feared that the 90 newcomers had no concept of the extent and the labor of the journey before them. A few days later, Bryant's observations proved correct as the group encountered their first major setback at the Big Blue River. On May 27, 1846. The Russell wagon train, now with the Donners and Reeds, stopped at the banks of the Big Blue river that cuts.

[Chris Wimmer]

Through the eastern third of modern day Kansas.

[Narrator]

Late spring rains and snow melt swelled the river beyond normal. Most travelers going to California and Oregon knew their best bet was to cross it a month earlier before the worst of the rain and snow melt flooded the river. The wagon train lost four days while it waited and hoped that that the water level would go down. During that time, the Donna Reed party lost its first member. Mrs. Reed's elderly mother passed away. The family built a coffin, carved a gravestone and held a funeral on the Kansas prairie.

[Chris Wimmer]

But the group could not afford to.

[Narrator]

Mourn for very long. Every new day was more valuable than the last and they had to get across the river.

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[Narrator]

While the reeds prepared a decent burial for their lost relative, the rest of the party decided to build rafts to try to get the wagons across the Big Blue River. It was still swollen and dangerous, but they decided it was more dangerous to continue to wait. In order to make the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains before early fall, the group needed to travel about 15 miles a day every day. After leaving Independence, they had now lost four days and 60 miles of travel. The men chopped down cottonwood trees and made a huge raft with it. They managed to sail nine wagons across the river. At sunup the day after the funeral, the party started transporting the rest of the wagons, hoping to finish before nightfall. Seemingly out of nowhere, a cold wind blew in that afternoon and the temperature dropped considerably and it began to rain. The men were exhausted, having spent the better part of two days standing in a strong current, hauling the raft back and forth across the river with ropes. One of the wagons owned by German immigrant Louis Keseberg and his family fell over. His pregnant wife and a young daughter were tossed into the water. They weren't injured, but some of the wagon's contents were soaked, including some food, which was wasted. Everyone's nerves were frayed and there were a couple fist fights. But on June 1, the party was able to resume its journey.

[Chris Wimmer]

Between the river's rise, the funeral, and the raft building, they'd lost five days of time and potentially 75 miles of travel.

[Narrator]

Even so, at that point in the.

[Chris Wimmer]

Trip, the five day loss wasn't an insurmountable problem. They could still make it to the Sierras on time. If nothing else went wrong, the hard.

[Narrator]

Feelings from lack of sleep and the.

[Chris Wimmer]

Hard work of crossing the Big Blue leveled out.

[Narrator]

Everyone's spirits rose and the party pushed hard.

[Chris Wimmer]

They were 200 miles from their next.

[Narrator]

Stop at Fort Laramie.

[Chris Wimmer]

The party managed to move 15 to.

[Narrator]

20 miles a day, the rate of their slowest dock.

[Chris Wimmer]

In early June, they reached their first.

[Narrator]

Major milestone, the Platte River.

[Chris Wimmer]

Around modern day Kearney, Nebraska. The Platte was a godsend to western travelers. It was relatively shallow and gentle, and it was easy to follow to Fort Laramie. Alongside it, there were plenty of animals to hunt. The men of the party hoped they could get some, since they'd been living off salted supplies they had packed in Independence. Their prayers were answered on June 12 when James Reed shot an elk and brought it back to camp. But then something else happened that revealed Reed's impetuous nature. The day after Reed brought the elk back to camp, two other men managed to track a buffalo herd, which was a welcome accident. They brought stakes back and the entire party celebrated. All except Reed. He was bitter about being outshined and irritated. When the men wanted to go hunt with the buffalo killers the next day and not him, Reed goaded a few men into riding with him. He raced far ahead of his fellow hunters and charged straight into a buffalo herd. He killed two bucks and a calf.

[Narrator]

He and his friends packed what they could, but wastefully left much of it for the wolves. As the Russell train followed the Platte River, Timms and Donner wrote that the.

[Chris Wimmer]

Journey so far had been easier than they'd expected. But in Edwin Bryant's letters home, he.

[Narrator]

Hinted that all was not well. He and some of the other unmarried men or men who were traveling without their families would soon leave the Russell party. He felt the group was moving way too slow, and yet not even the impatient Bryant was blameless for lost time. On June 14, a party rode up to the Russell wagon train and begged the journalists to come to their camp. A week before, a little boy in their group had fallen off a wagon and his leg had been crushed under a wheel. They'd heard Bryant had medical training. The Russell party thought the boy's case might be a lost cause and they should move on. But Bryant reluctantly decided to go check on the young patient. He almost vomited when he saw the little boy stretched out on a board, feverish and unconscious. His leg was terrible and gangrene had set in. The journalist was no doctor, but he knew the boy couldn't survive an operation. However, he couldn't ignore the pleadings of the mother to try to amputate.

[Chris Wimmer]

Bryant gave the boy some of the opiate he'd brought with him, and he.

[Narrator]

Cut off the leg. The boy died two hours later.

[Chris Wimmer]

Despite the morbid outcome, the other campers.

[Narrator]

Swarmed Bryant to help them with their own ailments. By the time he'd finished treating everyone and helping with the burial and the meals and even a wedding, he'd spent a day and a half away from his own caravan. And the wagon train sat and waited for Bryant to return. It was just one example on a long list of delays that the travelers would look back on with regret.

[Chris Wimmer]

On the evening of June 18, Colonel.

[Narrator]

Russell held a campfire meeting.

[Chris Wimmer]

He was resigning his post as captain.

[Narrator]

Of the wagon train.

[Chris Wimmer]

He told the party that he hadn't.

[Narrator]

Been feeling well for several days and.

[Chris Wimmer]

He just didn't have it in him. He would stay with the caravan, but.

[Narrator]

He didn't want to lead anymore.

[Chris Wimmer]

Put simply, he was extremely frustrated. In a letter to a newspaper editor, Russell complained that they were only averaging 15 miles a day. That wasn't unexpected since all of their teams were led by slow moving oxen. It was frustrating though, because they weren't banking any time in case unexpected things happened.

[Narrator]

Russell didn't name names, but he grumbled.

[Chris Wimmer]

That everyone seemed more concerned with their own agendas than the bigger picture. He couldn't even get those in his party to stay awake when they were supposed to be guarding against potential attacks by the Pawnee. In reality, the situation was probably fairly normal.

[Narrator]

The people worked together as best they.

[Chris Wimmer]

Could, but none of them had experience.

[Narrator]

Traveling and they didn't know what the future would bring. In fact, their optimism was often what slowed them down.

[Chris Wimmer]

In addition to necessities like stopping to fix wagons, they paused or slowed to socialize or to enjoy the scenery they'd never seen before and might never see again. It was hard to blame them, but.

[Narrator]

The lost time added up. The group nominated Lilburn Boggs as its new leader. He was a former governor of Missouri.

[Chris Wimmer]

And most people had faith in his leadership.

[Narrator]

A good leader was vital. On a wagon train to the west.

[Chris Wimmer]

On June 19, 1846, the caravan managed 20 miles to a comfortable camping spot.

[Narrator]

In a valley of the North Platte River. There, Bryant and a few others temporarily separated from the main group. They wanted to move faster, and they had an idea. Bryant and his companions traveled ahead about 150 miles to Fort Laramie to trade.

[Chris Wimmer]

Their oxen and wagons for mules. Mules were moody, but they were faster.

[Narrator]

The men were all unmarried or had.

[Chris Wimmer]

No families on the trip. They had fewer possessions and no children. They could strap their belongings to the sure footed mules and make up for lost time, but they still didn't break away completely.

[Narrator]

Not yet.

[Chris Wimmer]

On June 27, the wagon train led.

[Narrator]

By Boggs arrived at Fort Bernard, about eight miles short of Fort Laramie. The travelers had heard that they could get better prices on supplies at the smaller fort, so they stopped short of the usual goal of Fort Laramie. At Fort Bernard, James Reed spied an old friend, James Clyman. Kleiman and Reed had fought together during the Black Hawk War. The two men, along with other prominent men of the wagon train, talked late into the night. They discussed the two most prominent routes to California. The caravan was still hundreds of miles from the spot at which the people would have to make the critical decision. But it was on everyone's mind. They were way behind schedule, and in the southwest corner of Wyoming, they would be forced to make a choice. Kleiman was a mountain man and a guide, and he strongly advised the caravan to stay on the proven trails. Follow the Oregon Trail until the California Trail split off from it and led down into the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Sacramento Valley on the other side. But James Reed was a believer in Lansford Hastings book. Reid insisted that they take the unproven Hastings cut off, which promised to shorten their trip by hundreds of miles. Kleiman knew the territory of the Hastings cut Off and he warned his old friend that the route was barely passable by foot and was virtually impossible with wagons. That night, the leaders of the wagon train sat up late and debated their options around the campfire. It was a split decision. In about two weeks time, the wagon train would break apart.

[Chris Wimmer]

Some would stay with the proven trails and some would try the Hastings Cut off.

[Narrator]

And that split would be the birth of the Donner Party as we know it. Next time on Legends of the Old West. The wagon train reaches its crossroads in southwest Wyoming. The Donner party makes its choice between the Oregon Trail and and the Hastings cut off and pays for it dearly. The party experiences one calamity after another.

[Chris Wimmer]

And the stress pushes them to their.

[Narrator]

Most difficult decision yet. That's next week on Legends of the Old West. Members of our Black Barrel plus program don't have to wait week to week to receive new episodes.

[Chris Wimmer]

They receive the entire season to binge all at once with no commercials and they also receive exclusive bonus episodes.

[Narrator]

Sign up now through the link in the show notes or on our website blackberrymedia.com this series was researched and written by Julia Bricklin. Original music by Rob Valiere. I'm your host and producer, Chris Wimmer. If you enjoyed the show, please leave us. A rating and a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you're listening. Check out our website, Black Barrel Music for more details and join us on social media. We're at Old West Podcast on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and all our episodes are available on YouTube. Just search for Legends of the Old West Podcast. Thanks for listening.