Trail of Tragedy: The Excavation of the Donner Party Site

[Jayjangle]

This video seems to be full of a ton of bumbling idiots.

The part that irritated me the most? When they had like 5 people say 'cannibalism' back to back. There was faaaaar more to this event. Yes, it is a memorable and important detail, but it isn't all that happened. I'll admit that the hype of this incident- man-eating- drew me to researching the Donner Party, but it really was only the icing on the shitty cake.

But, hur hur! Let's try to honor something by disgracing it! Yay family fun!

[folksygirl1880]

Is it just me or should these people all be slapped??? Would like to see them survive what the Donner party had to, then maybe it wouldn't be so funny!!!

[solitarydot]

3:12 If you find it hilarious, do you mind if I starve your children to death and eat them? I wonder if it would still be funny than....

[nicefella3]

the donner party story is a sad part of the growth of America......worthy of remembrance. great video. thanks for posting

[astayonix]

Lawl - thank you early 90's.

[bennyfrosted]

lets go dig up some remains ......... for pretty much no reason..... what a bunch of fucking idiots.

[ThePresticle1]

Your tax dollars at rest.

[nycbassist76]

james hetfield 2:56 fucking awesome!! haha

[bennyfrosted]

@nycbassist76  if that was james hetfield....... he must have been smoking crack back then.

[bwild61]

I can't see the reasoning behind disturbing the ground at this site. I had heard that the trail was established and identified long ago. It is sacred and should be left in peace.

[raewhitewolf]

This is very disrespectful!

And the people in the video come across as grammatically challenged idiots.

I would recommend you watch the PBS documentary, and not this pile of steaming crap.

[kozmon0t]

@raewhitewolf Burns documentaries are nothing but an endless series of melodramatic quotes, interrupted occasionally by snippets of narration.

-- kozmon0t



[Adagain]

Can you imagine being in their position and having to eat dead bodies? And what if you really liked the taste? Like it was the best food you'd ever eaten.

[goatwhoreable]

@Adagain DAMN!!!! that actually made me think.....eeeeeekkkkk!!!!!

[astayonix]

Thank you, early 90's. Thank you.

[StoneSoupVideos]

Irving Stone's Men to Match My Mountains piqued my interest two dozen years ago; I've called the area around Donner Home ever since. Incredible history of the American West permeates the entire area and it's fascinating to see it in a way that validates and supports the legends. Many thanks to the good folks at UNR and the Historical Society; without them we'd know only a fraction of what we know today.

[Chrisdrumz]

2:55,what an IDIOT

[alexmigda]

nice side-pony tail!

[Prizm4]

80s synth-pop music and people saying it was "wonderful"....dear God if only the survivors could see what a mockery this video is. I'm only 3 minutes in, and can't be bothered watching the rest.

[jlbtwebb]

hh.com @ 17:56 :)

[NoLongerFooled]

Why don't you just leave well enough alone? You are messing with a place of death, that's just bad karma folks.

[epicorgan]

Scientists are politically correct morons. Rescuers found what was left of the Donner party and diaries were written, yet the Archeologists wont believe it until they have physical proof in their hands. Complete bunk!

[VampireMonkeyCRX]

@epicorgan

Let's be friends. :) I like the way you think.

[firewallx]

what a boring video!

[kataisa3]

"It's just a wonderful story."!?? Are these people nuts or just stupid? The Donner Party was one of the most tragic stories in the history of America's West. Show some respect! Or at least a modicum of intelligence.

[bcadle123]

I recently read "The History of the Donner Party" published in 1907. It is available from Google for free as a eBook. I highly recommend this accurate historical account of the Donner Party. Although written long ago, it is very readable and includes eyewitness testimonies from the survivors as well as diary entrries. Very interesting reading.

[CoastStarlight11]

I live not to far from Donner Pass

[killerNC17]

these people are clueless. this makes me mad. about how SO WONDERFUL the experience is. well it's not wonderful. in the last 3 months with the remaining 2 partys , the acts of cannibalism were well acted. 1 survivor made it out of the mountains. when the 4th rescue relief came , the man was surrounded by chewed and half eaten corpses. THERE IS NOTHING WONDERFUL ABOUT THAT! and some people asked why was god not there? well god didn't have anything to do with this one.

[aaqaaqaaqaaqaaqaaqaa]

@killerNC17 : There is no such thing as god.

[killerNC17]

i know. i do not belive in a god either. i am not religious

[ArxVirtus]

I can't believe the total irreverence some of these people have about the place where they are. Their comments are completely idiotic The "wonderful adventure" and the "exciting experience" of the Donner Party? What is this? A bunch of tourists playing Archeologist?

None of them have clue about the history of what happened here or ever read any of the diaries.

[murphyclm]

WAAAY too upbeat in tone, from the background "music" to the stupid comments made by the idiot bystanders. PBS did a nicer job in tone recently, far more respectful in approaching this sad topic.

[moralesgonzalezr]

With all due respect, they don't seem like real archeologists to me. They look like freshmen students of archeology or at least they behave like that. Did you see the promo sweaters they made?

[yooperlooper]

A WONDERFUL STORY??? That lady at 1:50 says it's a 'wonderful story'. I don't want to know what she does for entertainment! Those people had to make decisions between life and death that noone should ever have to make. In my opinion they should just let them and the remains of their horrific experience rest in peace.

[weirdbeard63]

All the laughing and joking by the jerks on the video seems very inappropriate considering the hardship and tragedy these people went through.

[jonnystinkfoot]

dam people eaters !

[killerNC17]

think of the circumstances and what situation you were in. when a human is pushed and pushed and pushed farther into the extremes,the circumstances go from extreme to beyond. when there is nothing to eat except dead corpses. im sure we all would have to do something like this. you have no idea , and the rest of us have some what of an idea, of what these poor souls went through

[Prizm4]

@killerNC17 Yes, I think the Donner Party is a microcosm of how most human beings would act in similar circumstances. You can't condemn them for cannibalism if you simply haven't been in their position and felt so desperate to stay alive.

[moralesgonzalezr]

Totally agree!!

[creolelady182]

They buried their dead out there- look for the graves

[creolelady182]

It took the survivors a year to get to California by Wagon Train. Today by car from the same destination: 2 days

[andresx101]

You know this video was interesting until all the early 90's techno hip hop kept playing in the background. sheesh.

[randydixon]

I know, WTF, US Forest Service? It's like when your dad pretends to like the same music you do. You're the Forest Service, it's perfectly cool that you're lame.

[MrBenquo]

@randydixon Quit pickin' on the US Forest Service!

[teganwr]

@randydixon WOW best comment ever.

[acyoung07]

Wonderful!!  Great video! Very educational...love this kind of stuff.

[acyoung07]

Women I can believe survived more so then men as that they wore heavier clothing then men. Not to mention that the men were probably more exposed in the snow then woman as it was their "job" to try to provide food. As for the children I have no idea....I believe most of the children especially small ones did pass on.

[wpfearnley]

isnt there a film about this, if there is can you let me know, nice video too

[acyoung07]

A film was done...believe it was more a tv movie. However I believe another film is being made titled The Forlorn. Based on the Forlorn Hope group that tried to get out of the camp and to Sacramento. Looks great!

[wpfearnley]

Thanks, i think iam gonna see that.

[saletious]

PBS has a video in their (AMERICAN EXPERIENCE) series, "THE DONNER PARTY." it's really good. You should be able to find it in your library, history videos.

[djphreaxshow]

@saletious its definitely one great documentary!

[saltairesam]

Great stuff. I'm from England and passed Donner lake on the California Zephyr a few years ago. I was so intrigued by the story that I went back and spent a few days in Truckee just to get to know the area better.

To anyone who hasn't been, it's well worth the trip - not just the Donner party but important in the story of the trans continental railways and the amazing feat of the Chinese labourers. (The train trip is brilliant too)

I really enjoyed this video. Thanks

[Baldgol4]

What is amazing is how many women and children survived and many more of the men perished.

[Jocool0785]

Nice video I'm glad you guys did this excavation