He was 16, a French immigrant, nobody knew who he was ? he was an orphan. He was nobody, and then all of the sudden because he's a survivor and cannibalism was said to have taken place, he's suddenly elevated to stardom and infamy. He probably made the whole thing sound as sexy and gory and sensational as possible. |
If we can find a cornerstone, we would know the exact location of the home. |
The Donner family ended up getting the stigma basically because of the name. But of all the people, they were probably the least deserving of it. |
The Donner Party's experience was bad, but it wasn't as bad as everybody's been told. |
There was a lot of fill on top but the magnetometer really pointed out anomalies. We found a pipe that was probably to the well pump and then we found a sill log on which floor planks would have been laid. |
They didn't survive by eating each other; they survived by being resourceful. |
We get a picture where they are coming back to camp with arms full of venison and rabbit. |
You have to remember, we're talking about 1861 or 1862. Abraham Lincoln was president. Local potters had to make these items from clay found in the area. We have some pieces with the fingerprints of the potters still on them. |