-
The Donner Party
- The Tragic Story of the Wild West's Most Notorious Journey
- Narrated by: Neil Holmes
- Length: 1 hr and 22 mins
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The Donner Party
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Publisher's Summary
The westward movement of Americans in the 19th century was one of the largest and most consequential migrations in history, and for countless people back east, the West represented opportunities for adventure, independence, and fortune. Even in the 21st century, Americans look back on the era fondly, even romantically, and millions are familiar with the popular game that reignited interest in the Oregon Trail.
Of course, it's easy for people with modern transportation to comfortably reminisce about the West, because many pioneers discovered that the traveling was fraught with various kinds of obstacles and danger, including bitter weather, potentially deadly illnesses, and hostile Native Americans, not to mention an unforgiving landscape that famous American explorer Stephen Long deemed "unfit for human habitation." 19th century Americans were all too happy and eager for the transcontinental railroad to help speed their passage west and render overland paths obsolete.
One of the main reasons people yearned for new forms of transportation is because of the most notorious and tragic disasters in the history of westward travel. While people still romanticize the Wild West, many Americans are still all too familiar with the fate of the Donner Party, a group of 87-90 people that met with disaster in the Sierra Nevada mountain range during the winter of 1846-1847. The party knew the journey would take months, but early snowfalls in the mountains left dozens of people trapped in snow drifts that measured several feet, stranding them in a manner that made it virtually impossible for them to go any further for several weeks.
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- Narrated by: Susannah Jones
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,483
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,235
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,231
Mrs. Jacob Klein has a husband, children, and a warm and comfortable home in California. No one - not even her family - knows how she came to be out West 13 years ago. Jacob, a kind and patient man, has promised not to ask. But if she were to tell her story, she would recount a tale of tragedy, mishaps, and unthinkable choices - yet also sacrifice, courage, and a powerful, unexpected love.
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4 out of 5 stars
-
Historical fiction
- By RueRue on 01-18-19
By: V. A. Shannon
-
Ordeal by Hunger
- By: George R. Stewart
- Narrated by: Jeff Riggenbach
- Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 158
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 91
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 94
The tragedy of the Donner party constitutes one of the most amazing stories of the American West. In 1846, 87 people, men, women, and children, set out for California, persuaded to attempt a new overland route. After struggling across the desert, losing many oxen, and nearly dying of thirst, they reached the very summit of the Sierras, only to be trapped by blinding snow and bitter storms. Many perished; some survived by resorting to cannibalism; all were subjected to unbearable suffering.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Life Changing
- By Gyropilot on 06-03-08
-
Across the Plains in the Donner Party
- By: Virginia Reed Murphy
- Narrated by: Colleen Delany
- Length: 1 hr and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 33
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 22
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 24
The story of the Donner Party is very much the story of James F. Reed's family, not simply because the Reeds were prominent members, but because they left much documentary evidence: diaries, memoirs, correspondence, and letters written en route and interviews shortly after the disaster. The adopted daughter of Reed, Virginia Reed Murphy's memoir is a noteworthy recounting of the Donner party disaster and its gruesome end. Her writing is sprightly, informal, and full of human interest.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Unembelished Excellence
- By LL on 10-13-10
Related to this topic
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The Best Land Under Heaven
- The Donner Party in the Age of Manifest Destiny
- By: Michael Wallis
- Narrated by: Michael Wallis
- Length: 16 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 415
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 385
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 381
Cutting through 160 years of mythmaking, best-selling historian Michael Wallis presents the ultimate cautionary tale of America's westward expansion.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Well researched but performance is just mediocre
- By T. Redwood on 07-14-17
By: Michael Wallis
-
Desperate Passage
- The Donner Party's Perilous Journey West
- By: Ethan Rarick
- Narrated by: Christopher Prince
- Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 799
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 664
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 664
In late October 1846, the last wagon train of that year's westward migration stopped overnight before resuming its arduous climb over the Sierra Nevada Mountains, unaware that a fearsome storm was gathering force. After months of grueling travel, the 81 men, women and children would be trapped for a brutal winter with little food and only primitive shelter. The conclusion is known: by spring of the next year, the Donner Party was synonymous with the most harrowing extremes of human survival.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
I REALLY enjoyed this book
- By Roger on 02-09-10
By: Ethan Rarick
-
Ordeal by Hunger
- By: George R. Stewart
- Narrated by: Jeff Riggenbach
- Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 158
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 91
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 94
The tragedy of the Donner party constitutes one of the most amazing stories of the American West. In 1846, 87 people, men, women, and children, set out for California, persuaded to attempt a new overland route. After struggling across the desert, losing many oxen, and nearly dying of thirst, they reached the very summit of the Sierras, only to be trapped by blinding snow and bitter storms. Many perished; some survived by resorting to cannibalism; all were subjected to unbearable suffering.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Life Changing
- By Gyropilot on 06-03-08
-
The Indifferent Stars Above
- The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party
- By: Daniel James Brown
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,703
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,494
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,494
In April of 1846, 21-year-old Sarah Graves, intent on a better future, set out west from Illinois with her new husband, her parents, and eight siblings. Seven months later, after joining a party of pioneers led by George Donner, they reached the Sierra Nevada Mountains as the first heavy snows of the season closed the pass ahead of them. In early December, starving and desperate, Sarah and 14 others set out for California on snowshoes and over the next 32 days endured almost unfathomable hardships and horrors.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Absolutely enthralling
- By Sasha Anscum on 06-07-19
-
The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman
- Women in the West, Book 1
- By: Margot Mifflin
- Narrated by: Kaipo Schwab
- Length: 6 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 496
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 439
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 438
In 1851, Olive Oatman was a 13-year-old pioneer traveling west toward Zion, with her Mormon family. Within a decade, she was a white Indian with a chin tattoo, caught between cultures. The Blue Tattoo tells the harrowing story of this forgotten heroine of frontier America. Orphaned when her family was brutally killed by Yavapai Indians, Oatman lived as a slave to her captors for a year before being traded to the Mohave, who tattooed her face and raised her as their own.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Mispronunciations
- By R. Brown on 06-07-18
By: Margot Mifflin
-
21 Months a Captive
- Rachel Plummer and the Fort Parker Massacre
- By: Rachel Plummer, James W. Parker
- Narrated by: Brian V. Hunt, Claire Dayton
- Length: 3 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 66
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 58
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 58
On May 19, 1836, Fort Parker in Texas was overwhelmed by a band of Comanche Indians. Some residents were brutally murdered, others taken prisoner. Among those captured was 11-year-old Cynthia Parker, who would remain with the Comanche for 24 years and give birth to famed Chief Quanah.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Informative read and detailed
- By Austin on 06-24-20
By: Rachel Plummer, and others
-
The Best Land Under Heaven
- The Donner Party in the Age of Manifest Destiny
- By: Michael Wallis
- Narrated by: Michael Wallis
- Length: 16 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 415
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 385
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 381
Cutting through 160 years of mythmaking, best-selling historian Michael Wallis presents the ultimate cautionary tale of America's westward expansion.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Well researched but performance is just mediocre
- By T. Redwood on 07-14-17
By: Michael Wallis
-
Desperate Passage
- The Donner Party's Perilous Journey West
- By: Ethan Rarick
- Narrated by: Christopher Prince
- Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 799
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 664
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 664
In late October 1846, the last wagon train of that year's westward migration stopped overnight before resuming its arduous climb over the Sierra Nevada Mountains, unaware that a fearsome storm was gathering force. After months of grueling travel, the 81 men, women and children would be trapped for a brutal winter with little food and only primitive shelter. The conclusion is known: by spring of the next year, the Donner Party was synonymous with the most harrowing extremes of human survival.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
I REALLY enjoyed this book
- By Roger on 02-09-10
By: Ethan Rarick
-
Ordeal by Hunger
- By: George R. Stewart
- Narrated by: Jeff Riggenbach
- Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 158
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 91
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 94
The tragedy of the Donner party constitutes one of the most amazing stories of the American West. In 1846, 87 people, men, women, and children, set out for California, persuaded to attempt a new overland route. After struggling across the desert, losing many oxen, and nearly dying of thirst, they reached the very summit of the Sierras, only to be trapped by blinding snow and bitter storms. Many perished; some survived by resorting to cannibalism; all were subjected to unbearable suffering.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Life Changing
- By Gyropilot on 06-03-08
-
The Indifferent Stars Above
- The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party
- By: Daniel James Brown
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,703
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,494
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,494
In April of 1846, 21-year-old Sarah Graves, intent on a better future, set out west from Illinois with her new husband, her parents, and eight siblings. Seven months later, after joining a party of pioneers led by George Donner, they reached the Sierra Nevada Mountains as the first heavy snows of the season closed the pass ahead of them. In early December, starving and desperate, Sarah and 14 others set out for California on snowshoes and over the next 32 days endured almost unfathomable hardships and horrors.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Absolutely enthralling
- By Sasha Anscum on 06-07-19
-
The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman
- Women in the West, Book 1
- By: Margot Mifflin
- Narrated by: Kaipo Schwab
- Length: 6 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 496
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 439
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 438
In 1851, Olive Oatman was a 13-year-old pioneer traveling west toward Zion, with her Mormon family. Within a decade, she was a white Indian with a chin tattoo, caught between cultures. The Blue Tattoo tells the harrowing story of this forgotten heroine of frontier America. Orphaned when her family was brutally killed by Yavapai Indians, Oatman lived as a slave to her captors for a year before being traded to the Mohave, who tattooed her face and raised her as their own.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Mispronunciations
- By R. Brown on 06-07-18
By: Margot Mifflin
-
21 Months a Captive
- Rachel Plummer and the Fort Parker Massacre
- By: Rachel Plummer, James W. Parker
- Narrated by: Brian V. Hunt, Claire Dayton
- Length: 3 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 66
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 58
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 58
On May 19, 1836, Fort Parker in Texas was overwhelmed by a band of Comanche Indians. Some residents were brutally murdered, others taken prisoner. Among those captured was 11-year-old Cynthia Parker, who would remain with the Comanche for 24 years and give birth to famed Chief Quanah.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Informative read and detailed
- By Austin on 06-24-20
By: Rachel Plummer, and others
-
Daniel Boone
- The Life and Legend of an American Pioneer
- By: John Mack Faragher
- Narrated by: Tom Parker
- Length: 12 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 968
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 860
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 856
In the first and most reliable biography of Daniel Boone in more than 50 years, award-winning historian Faragher brilliantly portrays America's famous frontier hero while illuminating the American hero-making process itself. Drawing from popular narrative, the public record, scraps of documentation from Boone's own hand, and a treasure trove of reminiscences gathered by nineteenth-century antiquarians, Faragher uses the methods of new social history to create a portrait of the man and the times he helped shape.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent book for history readers
- By James P Carter on 11-11-13
-
Boone
- A Biography
- By: Robert Morgan
- Narrated by: James Jenner
- Length: 20 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,257
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,062
-
Story