![]() When the first rescue party arrived on February 18th, they found that fourteen of the party had died and the rest were extremely weak. At Sutter's Fort, four rescue parties were organized for those who remained behind in the mountains. The seven survivors reached safety on January 18th, 1847. En route, three more died and they too were cannibalized. Caught without shelter in a blizzard, four of them died, and the survivors resorted to cannibalism to stay alive, then continued on their journey. The remaining fourteen quickly became lost, and ran out of food. As such, fifteen of them set out on foot for Sutter's Fort, about 100 miles away, although one man turned back early on. They soon found themselves having to slaughter their oxen for food, and by mid-December they discovered that they were running dangerously low on edible material. Demoralized and low on supplies, about 60 travelers camped at a lake (now called Donner Lake), whilst the rest camped at Alder Creek, about six miles away. Heading for California, they had left Springfield Illinois in April, but upon reaching the Sierra Nevada at the end of October, a snowstorm blocked their way. Reed, along with their families and hired hands, totaling 87 people in all. The Donner Party was composed of George Donner, his brother Jacob Donner, and James F. This is a reference to a real life incident which occurred in the Sierra-Nevada mountain range in the winter of 1846-1847. When Danny enquires as to who the Donner Party were, Jack tells him that they were travelers who were stranded in the mountains one winter, and who had to resort to cannibalism in order to survive. During the Torrances' drive to the Overlook Hotel, Wendy asks Jack if they are anywhere near where the Donner Party were stranded, to which he replies they aren't. ![]()
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