Cannibalism and The Donner Party
Great Salt Lake Sierra Nevada Lake Tahoe
The Donner was a group of American emigrants who set off for California in 1846-47. Two families, the Donners and the Reeds, accounted for most of the eighty-seven members of the party, which left Sangamon County, Ill., in 1846, under the leadership of George Donner. After considerable difficulty crossing the Great Salt Lake in Utah, they were trapped by heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada in November. Forced to camp for the winter at a small lake, now named Donner Lake, about 13 miles n.w. of Lake Tahoe, they suffered enormous hardships. Party members resorted to cannibalism in order to survive. 47 of them were eventually brought to California by rescue parties over what is now know as Donner Pass.

Funk and Wagnalls Encyclopedia