California Gold Rush

  • Starting West

    In the spring of 1849, we the Donner Party began moving west.
  • Shortcut

    After we left our homes, we wanted to get to California faster so we would be able to get more gold. We decided that we would try to find a shortcut.
  • Getting Lost

    Once we began taking our shortcut we got lost and had to figure out a way to get to the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
  • Freezing

    Once we had reached the Sierra Nevada Mountains we got stuck in the heavy snows. This definitely us down because we could not travel through the snow. We had to stick around until it was no more. Not knowing when the snow was going to melt, we were scared because our food was very scarce.
  • Rescue

    Rescue had finally arrived. We the remaining living troops were found. Sadly though, 42 out of our 87 members had died. Thank God I am alive.