The Donner Party Part 7

[diddims]

I can't imagine what William Eddy must have felt; a young man who had survived the snowshoe party, was one of the leaders of the third rescue team, and he arrives at the lake to find that his baby daughter and his wife, Eleanor, died in late February and his three-year-old son, James, was cannibalized by Lewis Keseberg just days before he arrived.

[r5t6y7u8]

Easy for me to say in my comfy house in 2011 but ... why didn't the rescuers stay a week and show the people how to fish from the lake, and hunt wild game? Doesn't that area have deer, elk, foxes, beavers, wolfs, and mountain lions, even in winter?

[diddims]

@r5t6y7u8 The immigrants themselves tried to do all of those things. They cut through very thick ice to see a crowd of fish, but they had no bait. William Eddy was the only effective hunter, and hunting is not easy even in stable circumstances; these people were desperate.

[saveusmilkboy]

fascinating story but i cannot be the only one who is annoyed by the way these voice actors do their best listless, dying-people impressions.

[Duskofdead]

Don't have too much sympathy for Reed. Reed was the jerk who threw his weight around with the group to convince them to take Hastings Cutoff even though it was his longtime friend who had privately warned him not to take it.

[millers3888]

7:39-8:20 was mind-blowing.

[Timuramaru]

wow so mrs reed really left two of her children behind? what a bitch

[diddims]

@Timuramaru Margret Reed did not leave her children. She and all her children left with the first rescue team but when the rescuers found that they didn't have enough food, they said that two would have to return, and Patty volunteered to do so and look after her little brother, despite their mother's distress; blame the first relief party, not Margret Reed, since they're the ones who turned the children away. I admire Patty's boldness, though!

[FortitudeOfHeaven]

Attaboy, Reed!

(This documentary is literally like hearing an actual horror story told out loud, complete with creepy music, treacherous scenes, ghastly voices and photos.)

[goodkarma33]

Why didn't they ice fish, using the dead as bait? Truckee lake must of had plenty of fish. Whats the deal, white man cant fish?

[kakashi76767]

3:12 - Legend has it that you can see Crow T. Robot from Mystery Science Theater 3000 along the treeline at the bottom of the screen.

[MrAngelmouse]

this was written in an age when face book was a personal diary!

[Miiistah]

I watched this in the dark..scary ass story...

[vgb42222]

the fact that the snow was so deep those people EMERGED from a hole in the snow is so unimaginable! i cant fanthom it.

[W0lfboy111]

whats the music that comes in at around 06:30?

[TheRealDarthWicket]

@W0lfboy111 no idea but in one of the videos it says who the conductor is

[Schimmerlois]

@W0lfboy111 It's Angelo Badalamenti's Dark Spanish Symphony for David Lynch's Wild at Heart.

[quietman71]

Patty Reed was a tough little kid.

[redarrowhead]

i remember watching a similar documentary on the donnars when I was like 10, couldn't sleep that day.

[THOMASSCOGHAN]

WHAT A HELIISH NIGHTMARE

[storestyggesvendsens]

I feel guilty... I m eating smoked Pork, while watching this

[shgibby61981]

@storestyggesvendsens LOL

[clutterbug4u]

Is baby meat more tender then a old mans...?

[qx1zed]

More than likely, lamb meat is very tender.

[OhJahRosie]

fuck

[tempestuous85]

that last little description of the camp was pretty intense

[randydixon]

That Irish dude sure brought a lot of ink, didn't he?

[hollymarg]

@randydixon ...we generally have a lot to say;-)

That was Donal McCann narrating the 'Irish dude'...just in case anyone was wondering!!!

[MarvelousSeven]

@randydixon I know right? Next time, pack more food and less ink!

[MiloDC]

8:38 - 9:42