Book/Printed Material The expedition of the Donner party and its tragic fate,


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Title
The expedition of the Donner party and its tragic fate,
Summary
Eliza Houghton (b. 1843) was the youngest child of George Donner, one of two Springfield, Illinois, brothers who organized the ill-fated California-bound emigrant party that bore their name. Eliza and her older sisters were rescued by relief parties that made their way to the stranded travellers at Donner Lake, but their parents perished, and the girls were left to make their way alone in the West. The expedition of the Donner party and its tragic fate (1911) begins with Mrs. Houghton's account of her childhood and the family's tragic overland journey, and rescue. She continues with her life as an orphan, first at Fort Sutter, and then with a family in Sonoma and with her older half-sister in Sacramento. She describes the impact of the gold rush and new immigration on the area, farm work and domestic work, and her own education in public schools and St. Catherine's Convent in Benicia. She writes at length of the emotional scars caused by contemporary rumors of cannibalism among the Donner Party and offers full accounts of Donner family history as well as the background of her husband, Samuel Houghton. An appendix contains several documentary sources for the history of the Donner Party.
Contributor Names
Houghton, Eliza Poor Donner.
Created / Published
Chicago, A.C. McClurg & co., 1911.
Subject Headings
-  Donner Party
-  Ethnic groups--California
-  Women--California
-  Urbanization--California
-  Real estate development--California
-  Agriculture--California
-  Religion and ethics--California
Notes
-  Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress Web site.
Medium
xxi p., 1 l., 374, [1] p. front., plates, ports. 22 cm.
Call Number/Physical Location
F868.N5 H8
Digital Id
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/calbk.187
Library of Congress Control Number
11035962
Rights Advisory
No known restrictions on publication.
Language
English
Online Format
image
pdf
online text
Description
Eliza Houghton (b. 1843) was the youngest child of George Donner, one of two Springfield, Illinois, brothers who organized the ill-fated California-bound emigrant party that bore their name. Eliza and her older sisters were rescued by relief parties that made their way to the stranded travellers at Donner Lake, but their parents perished, and the girls were left to make their way alone in the West. The expedition of the Donner party and its tragic fate (1911) begins with Mrs. Houghton's account of her childhood and the family's tragic overland journey, and rescue. She continues with her life as an orphan, first at Fort Sutter, and then with a family in Sonoma and with her older half-sister in Sacramento. She describes the impact of the gold rush and new immigration on the area, farm work and domestic work, and her own education in public schools and St. Catherine's Convent in Benicia. She writes at length of the emotional scars caused by contemporary rumors of cannibalism among the Donner Party and offers full accounts of Donner family history as well as the background of her husband, Samuel Houghton. An appendix contains several documentary sources for the history of the Donner Party.
LCCN Permalink
https://lccn.loc.gov/11035962
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Rights & Access

"California as I Saw It:" First-Person Narratives of California's Early Years, 1849-1900.

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Houghton, Eliza Poor Donner. The expedition of the Donner party and its tragic fate. Chicago, A.C. McClurg & co, 1911. Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/11035962/.

APA citation style:

Houghton, E. P. D. (1911) The expedition of the Donner party and its tragic fate. Chicago, A.C. McClurg & co. [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/11035962/.

MLA citation style:

Houghton, Eliza Poor Donner. The expedition of the Donner party and its tragic fate. Chicago, A.C. McClurg & co, 1911. Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/11035962/>.

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