Which of these facts are true?
A group of pioneers became trapped in the Sierra Nevada mountain range over the winter of 1846–1847
Of the eighty-nine original members of the Donner Party, only forty-eight survived the harsh weather
Rescuers did not arrive for over three long and brutal months
In the winter of 1846-47, a group of eighty-seven pioneers heading from the Midwest to California found themselves snowbound in the Sierra Nevada mountain range with no way forward and no food or supplies. While forty-eight of the group members survived, the others perished due to extreme weather, starvation, and illness. To survive, the remaining people resorted to extreme measures…including cannibalism. Theirs is a story of miscalculations, bad decisions, and extreme weather—but it’s also a story of survival and bravery among everyday people.
Author
Ben Hubbard
Ben Hubbard is an accomplished nonfiction author for children and adults with over 160 titles to his name. He has written about many subjects, from space, the samurai, and sharks, to poison, pets, and the Plantagenets. His books have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookshops, schools, and libraries around the world. He currently lives in British Columbia, Canada.
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