Hello and welcome to Serial Killing a Podcast, where we also veer off the Serial Killer

Path to delve into other topics within our beloved true crime community.

This week's podcast will be about the Donner Party.

The history of what was going on in the U.S. at that time plays a very important role in this story.

So let's start with the history during that time.

During the 1840s, much of the world was fighting with each other.

The first of two opium wars was coming to an end in China against Great Britain.

In southeastern Asia, the sign- China against Great Britain.

In southeastern Asia, the Siamese Vietnamese War in Cambodia was raging.

In Afghanistan, the first Anglo-Afghan war started, initiated by the British who were attempting to impose the quote,

puppet regime in Afghanistan.

Don't worry though, the Ottoman Empire was doing fine for those of you who have listened to my podcasts about Elizabeth Bathory and Flavian Paler.

The Ottomans were doing great.

There was a war in India and Sri Lanka.

In Romania there was the Wallachian Revolution of 1848, a wave of revolutions in Europe. Africa was very

busy abolishing slavery where it could. Canada was hanging in there as usual, and the US was very busy indeed,

creating its first postage stamp, states were being formed such as Texas and Florida. There were anti-slavery

conventions in Massachusetts and then not long after was the gold rush. In California gold was found and seemed to be in abundance.

Because of its high value, people uprooted their families to move there with the high hopes of striking it rich.

So this is the atmosphere around our group of people.

Now George Donner was born in 1784 near Salem, North Carolina. He was of German descent and the first son to his parents, though being the third child out of seven. He was of course

raised on a farm and got married to his first wife, 19-year-old Susanna, when he was 25 years old himself.

...