This podcast is recorded in front of an unwitting audience.

This is it.

We are here.

The dramatic ending to our seven-part series on the Donner Party.

And I know that Jess could not be more excited.

How you doing, Joe?

I'm doing great.

I am looking forward to the finale here.

Well, I wouldn't if I were you,

but that's like looking forward to a botched circumcision.

Yeah, well, yeah. And really what I mean by looking forward to is what's coming is the curiosity that most Americans have with the Donner Party.

What has led up to this has been the entirely necessary,

like historic, this is why they're here,

but this episode is about the real meat and potatoes of it.

Oh, Joseph. Oh. meat and potatoes of it.

Joseph.

Oh, you silly goose.

I do want to say that we're going to be putting to bed a couple of myths about the Donner Party in this episode because most of them come up in this part of the story.

A lot of sensationalism, a lot of made-up bullshit by newspapers trying to get sales or however

newspapers worked in the Ice Age. And we're also, I would also like to say that with the dates of everything,

I have tried to get everything as close as possible to what the actual date probably was,

but I do want to say that the dates for all the stuff never line up in the same two sources twice.

...