Endless Winter: The Real Story of the Donner Party

Bay Curious

KQED

History, Society & Culture, Places & Travel

4.9 • 999 Ratings

🗓️ 2 February 2023

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

You probably know the broad strokes of the Donner Party Saga: In 1846, a group of migrants traveling to California got stuck in a surprise October snow storm. After exhausting all their resources, they turn to cannibalism to survive. It's a grisly tale ... but the way it's often told is incomplete. We’ll delve into the details many leave behind, and explore what happened to the Donner Party survivors after they escaped the snowy Sierra. This notorious disaster struck deep at the heart of everything California held dear — and came to represent everything it wanted to forget. This story originally aired in 2020 in two parts. This version has been cut and condensed into one part. Additional Reading: Endless Winter: A Fresh Look at the Donner Party Saga, Part 1 Surviving the Donner Party: California, Gold and Lifelong Secrets, Part 2 Read a transcript of this episode Experience the saga as an immersive storytelling event from KQED Live! This story was reported by Carly Severn. Featuring the voices of: Lina Blanco, Gabe Meline, Dan Brekke and Mike Hanlon. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Amanda Font and Brendan Willard. Rob Speight mixed our original episodes. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Anna Vignet, Jenny Pritchett and Holly Kernan.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	From K-QED.
0:02.8	You're listening to Bea Curious, I'm Olivia Allen Price.
0:07.0	I was in middle school when I first heard about the Donner Party,
0:12.0	and like a lot of kids, I was particularly
0:14.6	interested in the gory details. A group of migrants traveling to California
0:20.9	gets stuck in a surprise October snowstorm, then eat each other to survive.
0:28.0	Given how long ago it all happened and how sensationalized the retelling of this story can be, it can feel pretty
0:35.3	distant or even like a piece of fiction. But if you've ever been over Donner Pass north of Lake
0:41.2	Tahoe, you'll know. This infamous disaster happened not so far from the
0:46.2	San Francisco Bay Area. That's what made one listener right to Bay Curious with a question.
0:51.2	My name is Afifa Twill and I want to know how the Donner Party impacted the Bay Area.
0:56.0	Today on Bay curious, we're bringing you our Donner Party story, which first aired in two parts in October 2020.
1:03.2	You'll hear it in one part today.
1:05.2	We're re-erring this episode because we have a live event coming up on February 23rd,
1:10.1	where you can learn more on the topic.
1:12.1	I'll share more details about that a bit later,
1:15.0	but for now, grab a warm blanket.
1:17.0	We'll get started in just a moment. Support for Bay Curious
1:28.0	Bay Curious is brought to you by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company,
1:31.0	still family owned, operated, and argued over.
1:34.6	Explore their brews wherever fine beverages are sold, and
1:37.9	taste how trailblazing runs in the family.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from KQED, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of KQED and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.