McCurdy, Stephen A. "Epidemiology of Disaster - The Donner Party
(1846-1847)." Western Journal of Medicine (April 1994): 338-342.
This article, from the Western Journal of Medicine, takes a very different approach than the majority of my other cited sources. Stephen McCurdy uses just five short pages to describe a breakdown of mortality in the Donner Party. These mortality statistics focus mainly on gender, age groups, and the survival rate of those whom had present family or loved ones, and those that didn't. Through statistics and graphs, it is made very clear that the strongest survivors were children, woman, and those who had family available in such a great time of need. I found this article very helpful in understanding demographic response to such horrific events, and I now have an exciting new angle to investigate in my interview process.
Diamond, Jared. "Living Through the Donner Party." Discover Magazine (March
1992): 100-107
"Living Through the Donner Party" explores similar themes to the Western Journal of Medicine article I cited, and it explores those themes with even more depth. Mr. Diamond displays similar statistics to that of Shephen McCurdy, but he adds a much more exploratory edge to the numbers. In attempting to find out why women fared so much better than men on the journey, he points out the shortcomings of men in stressful situations, such as a tendency toward violence, as their possible downfall. A man's high metabolic rate and lower body fat count is also considered as a culprit for a much quicker demise. Even more striking, the non-family affiliated members of the group were all men, and almost every one of them died. I believe that this article brings a very curious, yet well informed set of arguments to the table that will prove to be very helpful.
Walker, Cameron. "Donner Party" Hearth Yields Bones; DNA Analysis Planned."
National Geographic (July 2004): 1-2.
This National Geographic article's main focus is an in-field study on archeological elements left behind at the Donner camp near Alder Creek. Cameron Walker explain the significance of finding a hearth from a fire in the vicinity of the spot suspected to be the location where the Donner Party spent that infamous winter. Scientists explain that evidence of cannibalism, or even a better understanding of day to day life at Alder Creek, could help us separate myth from the truth. Walker explains that the archeologists found evidence, in the form of burnt remains of human bone, at the site of the hearth. A study is to be conducted where scientist will attempt to match DNA from the remains with DNA from remaining Donner Party descendants. I found this article helpful for placing something tangible at Alder Creek, but a follow-up article would be of absolute value.
Murphy, Virginia Reed. "Across the Plains in the Donner Party: 1846-1847."
Century Magazine (July 1891): 1-20
"Across the Plains in the Donner Party" started as an actual journal from a member of the Donner Party, and that alone should give it merit as a valuable resource. This set of journals is separated by date, and it is written in a very matter of fact type of fashion. To be provided with a time line from a source present at the time gives this journal's dead pan delivery a personal touch. An even more human touch is provided when Virginia opens up about events and remembers them through the eyes of a twelve year old child. Virginia describes herself as fearful and her mother as frail, and those descriptions make the end results of the stronger woman and children surviving even more compelling.
Rosen, Daniel M. "Log Entries for September, 1846." 2009.
http://www.donnerpartydiary.com/SEP46.HTM (April 24, 2011).
Though not a proven scholarly resource, Daniel M. Rosen's donnerpartydiary.com is quite a valuable commodity to have available. This website works through an in-depth chronology of the Donner Party's journey using diary entries left behind by actual members of the party as sources. The section of Rosen's story that I found most helpful was the one describing September 1846 and the crossing of the Great Salt Desert. The hardships of crossing the desert seem to be a good prelude to events coming later in the story. The journey had to be hard in previous sections, but the thirst, hunger, loss of time, and loss of resources described in this section could have been the very worst to happen in a lesser tale. I feel reading this section of donnerpartydiaries has given me a few ideas on adding foreboding elements to my paper.
Weiser, Kathy. "Old West Legends - The Donner Party Tragedy." July 2010.
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ca-donnerparty.html (April 23, 2011).
Kathy Weiser gives a concise, four page explanation of the Donner Party and their exploits. Though legendsofamerica.com doesn't provide me with too many new angles for research, this article does provide me with a nice template for a research paper. Though I do plan on ending up with a lengthier final product, a summary such as this one gives me a good idea of where certain fatty aspects of the story could be trimmed down. One idea this article has helped me remain interested in is where to point the finger of blame. Was Lansford W. Hastings and his false route to blame, or was it James Donner's refusal of advice from his friend James Clyman that did the party in? This is a theme that I intend to explore more in my interview process.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Annotated Bibliography of Four Research Sources
McNeese, Tim. The Donner Party: A Doomed Journey. New York: Chelsea
House (2009): 20-27.
This section of "A Doomed Journey" highlights the basics perks to an exodus to the west and the shift of movement from Oregon toward California. McNeese explains the initial Oregon boom and the fear of the road to California being too difficult. He then reveals that the route to California had been improved and traveled upon, and future emigrant interest in the new route began to rise. McNeese then introduces us to Lansford W. Hastings, the author of "The Emigrants' Guide to Oregon and California," a confident man who had an idea for an alternate route to California that he had not already traveled. This author did a very good job setting up both the excitement of western movement and planting the seed for ultimate demise.
Stewart, George R. Ordeal By Hunger: The Story of the Donner Party. New
York: Houghton Mifflin (1988): 31-39
This chapter of Stewart's book, entitled "The Wahsatch," describes the hardships of the Hastings Cutoff. Stewart does a great job describing the difficult and slow paced chore that the Cutoff turned out to be. The author describes narrow canyons, thick brush, enormous boulders blocking the path, and lost oxen, wagons, and party members. The chapter shows the party go from jovial emigrants to a tired pack of lost soul with nothing but contentment for their mentor. Most importantly are the themes of crucial time lost. With the loss of ground gained a pace of only a mile and a half a day, the Hastings Cutoff may have been the leading factor in the eventual doom of the Donner Party.
Limburg, Peter R. Deceived: The Story of the Donner Party. Pacifica,
California: International Publishing Services (1998): 111-119.
Limburg paints a picture of a party separated in the chapter appropriately named "Snowbound." Only mere hours too late for a safe passage between two mountains the Donners meet the biggest challenge of the journey up to that point. The party finds themselves in a storm that could have been avoided without all the previous lost time in their expedition. The group is split into two camps, one who made it over the pass to a lake with a cabin, and the other who was trapped just below the pass with only the supplies they had brought along and clothes on their backs. Limburg does seem to stress the point that cabin or no, the families would be stuck in their respective camps all winter, due to the extremity of the storm experienced.
Rarick, Ethan. Desperate Passage: The Donner Party's Perilous Journey
West. New York: Oxford University Press (2008): 190-196.
Rarick seems to explore more into the horror element of the story than the more historically focused works cited. I find this important, though, seeing as this is the highlight of the legend for most readers. In this chapter "Gruesome Sights" a scene is described where a rescue crew from California stumbles upon an unexpected sight. The author describes, in horrific detail, that the group of rescuers was forced to bear witness to families driven to cannibalism. Most notably Rarick describes the events of children devouring the flesh of their own parent, and how that was the reason more children survived the situation than any adult group. Only one family is said not to have engaged in the act, and this only adds to the intrigue of the underlying evil versus necessity argument.
House (2009): 20-27.
This section of "A Doomed Journey" highlights the basics perks to an exodus to the west and the shift of movement from Oregon toward California. McNeese explains the initial Oregon boom and the fear of the road to California being too difficult. He then reveals that the route to California had been improved and traveled upon, and future emigrant interest in the new route began to rise. McNeese then introduces us to Lansford W. Hastings, the author of "The Emigrants' Guide to Oregon and California," a confident man who had an idea for an alternate route to California that he had not already traveled. This author did a very good job setting up both the excitement of western movement and planting the seed for ultimate demise.
Stewart, George R. Ordeal By Hunger: The Story of the Donner Party. New
York: Houghton Mifflin (1988): 31-39
This chapter of Stewart's book, entitled "The Wahsatch," describes the hardships of the Hastings Cutoff. Stewart does a great job describing the difficult and slow paced chore that the Cutoff turned out to be. The author describes narrow canyons, thick brush, enormous boulders blocking the path, and lost oxen, wagons, and party members. The chapter shows the party go from jovial emigrants to a tired pack of lost soul with nothing but contentment for their mentor. Most importantly are the themes of crucial time lost. With the loss of ground gained a pace of only a mile and a half a day, the Hastings Cutoff may have been the leading factor in the eventual doom of the Donner Party.
Limburg, Peter R. Deceived: The Story of the Donner Party. Pacifica,
California: International Publishing Services (1998): 111-119.
Limburg paints a picture of a party separated in the chapter appropriately named "Snowbound." Only mere hours too late for a safe passage between two mountains the Donners meet the biggest challenge of the journey up to that point. The party finds themselves in a storm that could have been avoided without all the previous lost time in their expedition. The group is split into two camps, one who made it over the pass to a lake with a cabin, and the other who was trapped just below the pass with only the supplies they had brought along and clothes on their backs. Limburg does seem to stress the point that cabin or no, the families would be stuck in their respective camps all winter, due to the extremity of the storm experienced.
Rarick, Ethan. Desperate Passage: The Donner Party's Perilous Journey
West. New York: Oxford University Press (2008): 190-196.
Rarick seems to explore more into the horror element of the story than the more historically focused works cited. I find this important, though, seeing as this is the highlight of the legend for most readers. In this chapter "Gruesome Sights" a scene is described where a rescue crew from California stumbles upon an unexpected sight. The author describes, in horrific detail, that the group of rescuers was forced to bear witness to families driven to cannibalism. Most notably Rarick describes the events of children devouring the flesh of their own parent, and how that was the reason more children survived the situation than any adult group. Only one family is said not to have engaged in the act, and this only adds to the intrigue of the underlying evil versus necessity argument.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)