Donner Party Essay

The Donner Party was a band of settlers who set off in May 1846 to California and are historically known for resorting to cannibalism when trapped in the Sierra Nevada. In the fall of 1846, 25 members of the Donner Party became stranded in Alder Creek Valley due to heavy snowstorms (Sprincer). The previously thought shortcut became a death trap and the settlers faced bitter cold, starvation, and death for several months. Journals from party members and rescuers helped tell the events of cannibalism, however its part in the history of the Donner Party may be overexaggerated. Bones found in Alder Creek by Kelly Dixon, an archeologist, tell a different story of the trial and tribulations of the settlers stranded in the mountain pass that fateful winter.

It is undisputed that cannibalism did occur within the Donner Party, but in reality, it was only a small portion of the survival of the Donners when they were stranded. Due to the taboo nature of cannibalism, its presence has been overstated to make the story of the Donner Party more macabre and thrilling. The bones dug up in the archeological excavation of Dixon showed no evidence of cannibalism. Since no human bones were found

from the 673 bone fragments tested, it is reasonable to assume that cannibalism was not frequent or else there would have been obvious evidence (Dixon, et al., 2010).
While all 673 samples were bones of animal origin, they give insight into the method in which the members of the camp at Alder Creek survived. The majority of samples found at alder Creek were of large mammalians (such as dear, cows, and humans), however none of the bones could be identified as human, either due to shrinkage from burning or falling out of the acceptable range of osteons (a cylindrical sub-unit of compact bone)/mm^2 for humans. However, the animal bones originated from deer, cows, dogs, and horses and showed nicks consistent with those of a hunting knife. Another important observation was that most bones had the presence of pot-polish on them (Dixon, et al., 2010).
Pot-polish, residue from cooking pots, was an indicator that members of the Donner Party cooked down animal bone after consuming the flesh and meat to extract bone grease, a source of nutrition that may have been vital in sustaining the settlers so long without the need for cannibalization (Dixon, et al., 2010). The knowledge of those who cooked in the camp could have possibly saved the party from resorting to cannibalism sooner and could explain the absence of bones found in the excavation.
The authors of the research paper on the archeology of Alder Creek clearly linked the lack of human bones at alder Creek to infrequent cannibalism by comparing it to other cases of cannibalism, such as Alfred Packer. Alfred Packer was a prospector that cannibalized his five traveling companions in Colorado when trapped in harsh winter conditions. The bodies of his companions’ major muscles were removed and consumed and no further nutrition obtained. The manner in which Packer consumed his fellow travelers showed desperation, a need for instant gratification, and a savage quality (Dixon, et al., 2010). Conversely, the bones from animals at Alder Creek showed thorough dissection and marrow extraction, leading to the conclusion that the members of the Donner Party at Alder Creek succumbed to cannibalism after exhausting all of their other non-human options for sustenance (Dixon, et al., 2010). From that, it can be assumed that cannibalism only occurred few a few weeks, a small window of time considering the months the party spent struggling to survive in dismal winter conditions.
Dixon also found the evidence of a hearth from ash residue. This finding opened up the possibility that the Alder Creek camp had communal meals, contrary to the Donner Lake camp where families had separate cabin lodgings (Dixon, et al., 2010). . If members had communal meals it is likely they shared a more personal bond with one another and would have been less inclined to eat their friends except in cases of extreme hunger. However, the Donner Lake site where other Donner Party members resided had more stable shelter than those at Alder Creek who relied on tents. The settlers at Alder Creek were more exposed to the elements so it is odd that they only succumbed to cannibalism near the very end of their time trapped in the mountain pass.
The author of the paper illustrates perfectly that while her excavation did not produce evidence of cannibalism it is still a documented event and other archeologists have found significant data. Nevertheless, Dixon shows that while her results did not confirm cannibalism, they did show that the Donner Party id much more than consume each other to survive the winter. The ingenius cooking techniques employed, as evident from the pot-polish on all 46 bones used in a test sample, may have caused the postponement of cannibalism. The discovery of the hearth and cooking techniques have cemented the idea that cannibalism is not a sudden act, but a gradual progression that had a clear beginning and end.
The only troubles that come with Dixon’s findings is the woeful sample size studied.

While 673 samples were unearthed, only 85 fragments were tested for pot-polish, damage, origin, and composition. The small sample size could bias the results and cause faulty analysis, leading to incorrect conclusions about the progression of cannibalism and how the Donner Party members kept from starvation. Many of the samples found were discarded because they were too damaged by temperature, erosion, weather fluctuations, and acidic soil (Dixon, et al., 2010). These factors could have also affected samples that were tested and lead to missing vital evidence of human remains that could have indicated that cannibalism was essential to the settlers’ survival, not their perfected bone boiling

techniques.
Dixon detailed the findings of the excavation well and tied in known history with new discoveries, allowing new theories about the human condition and survival techniques to emerge. It is unquestionable that cannibalism did occur within the Donner Party more so then in other groups traversing the western territories of the United States, however the frequency and time frame in which it occurred can be debated. The lack of human remains that have marks consistent with those from cannibalism showed that it was not a common enough occurrence where bounties of bones were found bearing marks of human consumption. Bones from animals with pot polish residue and extracted marrow give evidence to settlers exhausting all forms of sustenance before turning to cannibalism, thus it is likely that cannibalism only occurred in the later month when the food supply became truly desperate. Regardless of the validity of the archeological dig and previous findings, the knowledge gained from the excavation and subsequent experiments help broaden understanding of what exactly happened to the Donner Party.