Donner Party.!!
In the spring of 1846, a wagon train left Springfield, Illinois bound for the promised land of California. The already perilous trek was made even more difficult when the band of pioneers lost their way, got stuck in the desert, and their livestock began to die of thirst (yet another comment on the folly of attempting to survive in the desert). Their itinerary was completely thrown off, and they ended up spending the winter in the high Sierras. They chose poorly.
When the snow piled up and their provisions ran out, the poor Donners (and a number of other unfortunate souls), were reduced to eating boiled leather, field mice, family dogs, and, as their numbers thinned, each other. Yum.
To this day, there is a storm of controversy raging over what exactly happened that winter, particularly among the descendants of the Donner family. No one is quite sure who ate who, and no one wants to be labeled the great-great-great grandson or daughter of a cannibal. Can you blame them?
Want to learn more?
Relive the adventure up close and personal with this daily log of the Donner Party's journey.
Those brainy folks at PBS offer a spiffy companion site to their "American Experience" special on the Donner Expedition.
Don't miss out on the latest, most up-to-the-minute info on this historic event: New Light on the Donner Party.
Thrill to the tunes of the Donner Party adventure in this review of "Cannibal!", the musical movie tribute co-created by "South Park" wunderkind, Trey Parker. (Strictly speaking, "Cannibal!" is not about the Donner Party, but who wants to split hairs . . . )
And of course, what collection of Donner Party links would be complete without a connection to Cannibalism Haiku?