Among the settlers were George Donner and his family, the Jacob Donner family, and the James Reed family. George Donner, 62, was a successful farmer from Springfield, Illinois. He was six feet tall with black eyes and hair to match. He was traveling with his third wife, Tasmen, 45, and their three children Francis, 6, Georgina, 4, and Eliza, 2. George had also brought along with them his two daughters from a previous marriage, Elitha, 14, and Leanna, 12. The G. Donner family brought along their friends Noah James, 20, Samuel Shoemaker, 25, and John Denton, 28. His teamster was Hiram Miller, 28.

George also convinced his brother Jacob to come. Jacob Donner, 65, was traveling with his wife, Elizabeth, 45, and the

Even though the Donner Party started out as a normal wagon train, they were important for many reasons. They blazed a trail for many travelers who came west after them, showing how critical it was to follow the trails, and not detour no matter what you heard. They had shown why it was important to stick together as a group. They also had shown how people could survive after such a tragedy.

ir five children: George, 9, Mary, 7, Isaac, 5, Samuel, 4, and Lewis, 3. Also with them were Elizabeth's sons from a past marriage, William and Solomon Hook, 14 and 12 respectively.

James Reed, 45, was born in Ireland. He came from a Protestant family with Polish roots. He was an avid hunter and had fought beside Abraham Lincoln in the Black Hawk War. Because he was extremely rich he hired three teamsters and two servants. Reed built the infamous Palace Car for the trip west. The Palace Car was not just any wagon. It required four yoke of oxen and had a built-in stove and looking glass. It had two floors and a lady parlor. He had a tendency to spoil his daughter Virginia, who had her own pony. The family consisted of James Reed, his wife Margaret, 42, his mother-in-law, Sarah Keyes, 73, daughters Virginia and Martha (Patty), 12 and 9, and sons Thomas and James Jr., 3 and 1.

The Donner Party had a big decision to make. Did they want to continue to follow Hastings, or did they want to veer north and head to Fort Hall. This went up for decision among the adult men in the party, and in the end, it was decided that eighty-seven people would go with George Donner. The rest would head north to a different fort and take a different trail. They left in high spirits on July 31. There was no road to follow, just the trail of Hastings' party. So they followed Hastings' path until they found a note from him on August 7. He advised the Donner Party to camp where they were and send a message to him. He also said that he would put them on a new route around the canyon, and lessen the distance to Great Salt Lake. Donner sent Reed, Pike, and Stanton. They found Hastings at the Great Salt Lake on August 9. He pointed out another shortcut, but would not be true to his word. He did not point out the original route that he had promised. The route he had pointed out had never been taken, and was, in truth, just a guess on Hastings part. He never said how hard it would be for the wagon train to cut through the underbrush and create their own trail.

Some common words found in the essay are:
James Reed, Donner Party, George Donner, Fort Sutter, Independence Rock, Sutter's Fort, Springfield Illinois, Lake August, Hastings Boy, Jacob Donner, james reed, donner party, relief party, sutter's fort, george donner, wagon train, donner family, fort bridger, salt lake, fourth relief party, left party, relief party arrives, james reed wife,
Approximate Word count = 1926
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)