The best land under heaven : the Donner Party in the age of Manifest Destiny
by Wallis, Michael, 1945- (Author)
Summary
In the eerily warm spring of 1846, George Donner placed this advertisement in a local newspaper as he and a restless caravan prepared for what they hoped would be the most rewarding journey of a lifetime. But in eagerly pursuing what would a century later become known as the "American dream," this o... Full description
- Introduction: 1846
- Prologue: Donner Lake, June 6, 1918
- Call of the West
- A migrating people
- The best land under heaven
- Gray gold
- Snake heads
- California dreaming
- The bold plunge
- Wagons ho! April 1846
- Farewell, April 14-15, 1846
- Independence bound, April 15-May 10, 1846
- The journey
- Queen city of the trails, May 10-12, 1846
- Indian country, May 12-18, 1846
- Soldier Creek, May 19, 1846
- The others, May 20, 1846
- People of the south wind, May 21-24, 1846
- Alcove Spring, May 25-29, 1846
- The rhetoric of fear, May 30-June 2, 1846
- Ebb and flow, June 3-7, 1846
- On the Platte, June 8-10, 1846
- Life goes on, June 10-15, 1846
- A letter from Tamzene Donner, June 16, 1846
- The promised land
- Change of command, June 16-19, 1846
- Chasing mirages, June 19-25, 1846
- Sage advice, June 26-27, 1846
- A sense of urgency, June 28-July 12, 1846
- Parting of the ways, July 13-19, 1846
- The Donner party, July 20-28, 1846
- Betrayed, July 28-31, 1846
- The Hastings cutoff, August 1-22, 1846
- The fearful long drive, August 23-September 10, 1846
- Race against time, September 11-October 4, 1846
- Blood rage, October 5-20, 1846
- Perseverance, October 21-30, 1846
- Out of time
- Snowbound, November 1846
- Desperate times, desperate measures, November-December 1846
- The forlorn hope, December 1846
- Camp of death, December 1846
- The starving time, January 1847
- In dire straits, January-February 1847
- Man on a mission, January-February 1847
- To the rescue, February 1847
- The first relief
- The second relief
- The third relief
- The fourth relief
- Aftermath.