When I was 14, my sister, dad and I, got stuck on top of Donner pass while driving to Susanville. The whole freeway was stopped, we couldn’t move, and there were people outside of their cars playing in the snow with their kids... MY dad took it upon himself to tell us this sweet story while we were stuck in the snowstorm for 4 hours. 🙂🙃 *Carson City! Not Susanville*
I CACKLED! at this!!! 🤣🤣🤣 we were driving through when I was 16, so I was aware of the Donner party. Same thing happened, my dad thought to bring up this story on our beautiful drive... then it turned into who in the family would have to go first (as a joke obviously.. he's not actually crazy! Lol)
I love how she handles these topics. She makes jokes throughout it and keeps it funny but she also takes the time to look at it from a serious perspective and teaches the real history and psychology behind it
I'm an American history teacher. My class recently finished the westward expansion unit. I'll show them your video during our enrichment period next week. The kids will love your mix of comedy and historical accuracy. Well done, lady!
I'm happy you look at your videos before showint them to your students because one of my teachers just shows us useless docs and they're like 3 hour long
i was listening to LPOTL's coverage of this story, and what john stark, an unpaid rescuer in the last group, did actually made me cry. he saved 9 people when the other two (paid) people with him just wanted to take one child each and leave the rest to die. he picked up a couple of the kids, moved them down the trail, went back for more, and did this over and over and over and didn't stop, rest, or eat until they were all safe and out of the snow. stark and the 9 people he rescued all made it back alive.
OMG I read about this today too and it also made me cry and cry. What a man. What a truly compassionate, kind-hearted, courageous, self-sacrificing example of humanity. I'm so glad I learned about that little piece of beauty amid such an atrocious, nightmare of a real life event. It was truly moving.
@@heysaucemikehere1804 Tottenkampfverbande were the nazi concentration camp guards, the SD was the SS equivalent of the Abwher or german intelligence agency.
@Night Gardennone of them knew the lands and a lot of them were immigrants from the old world who never really experienced North American wilderness. The natives seemingly knew what they were doing but they couldn't communicate, and they ended up murdering them so yeah... And I guess when you're starving and cannibalism starts looking like a reasonable idea, the decision to eat the readily available dead becomes easier the further along they go
This was a sad story until we got to Nancy. Young child, cold and starving, eating her own mother but not knowing bc at least the adults around her had that kind of courtesy. But finding out later....I can't imagine. I really got emotional then, and when seeing the large rock memorial, it broke me. I really appreciate your videos on these subjects bc you understand where the humor should be placed and when we should be respectful.
This might be messed up but I would gladly give my flesh/body/meat so my child could live. It would be an honor to feed my precious little one one last time 😢😢
@@dianeaishamonday9125I think that is sooo much a thing of perspective. As a mother? 100%. Do I rationally understand my mothers feels the same about me and would want me too? Yes? As a daughter? No way. I don't think I could psychologically survive eating my own mother, at that point the outlook of the life I might survive to is so bleak I would think I would rather die. But of course all that is speculation with my filled fridge 10 feet away. We never know how we would feel. I just think it's interesting how fundamentally different the thought of being eaten/vs eating is for me. It's easier to sacrifice and say of course, you have to survive! But simultaneously what a burden that survival would be
The saddest part for me was that the final rescue party had to leave some people behind because they had become catatonic and couldn't assist in their own rescue.
@@thetillerwiller4696 Crashed blood sugar, extreme cold, and trauma could each have done it all by themselves. Collectively it was too much. Some of the people could not be stirred enough to get them to walk out of there or even look up, and the rescuers had no means to carry them.
@@johanvajse8410 I'm not sure. I have a story written by like my great-great-aunt second removed. She was writing about all of the stories she could remember from her mother and grandmother. In it, she mentions that my family was traveling with the Donner's initially. They decided to go the long way around and not go through the pass. And then they went back in the rescue party, but she doesn't mention any names specifically.
I’m related to the first survivors that traveled through Death Valley by way of covered wagon. They survived by eating their dead, including infants. I’m literally alive today because my family ate my family.
Yeah, wow is right, that’s crazy. I didn’t realize such an untenable dilemma was faced in multiple situations. Statistically, I guess it’s pretty obvious the Donner party couldn’t have been the only ones, especially given the difficulty of the terrain and the distance necessary to traverse. Wow. I just can’t imagine. Glad you’re alive, Jessica.
Your brilliant, tongue-in-cheek comment, "I'm alive today because my family ate my family," shall stay in my mind forever, since it's probably true for lots of us. 😱
Thank you for discussing the Donner Party. It's a compelling story to actually read, and goes far beyond the cannibalism parts. Most intriguing of all the emigrants is Tamsen Eustis Donner. Simply an amazing gal, educated, a herbalist, a woman who'd already suffered personal loss, an interesting letter-writer. She kept a journal--which has never been found. When you read about Tamsen--who warned George: Let's don't take that shortcut--you have to admire everything about her. For instance, she sent her children ahead with one of the rescue parties while she stayed back at that grisly campsite to care for her mortally wounded husband, George. There are many good books--perhaps none as well written as Smoke Gets in Your Eyes--but the story itself is simply unforgettable.
If I was with a stranded group and I was dying, I’d totally be fine with the rest of the group eating my body to survive after I died. I mean, would I rather have them leave me for bugs and wildlife to decompose or would it be better for them to use my nutritious organs to stay alive possibly in time to be rescued. I’m dead, doesn’t change anything for me!
But would you eat someone? Maybe if they gave consent before passing because they knew they were near the end? I don't think I couldn't handle carving up a travel companion. It would already have to be prepared. Heck I couldn't even slaughter animal. Then again, I dont know what my mind would be like in survival mode.
Burtasaurus Rex If you were gonna starve...It’d be horrifying but it’s better than death. We show the dead respect of course but not at the expense of the living.
@@ButterflyGhostBFG well it depends. Again, I don't know the impact panic, fear, and starvation would have on my mental faculties. I do know I'd hate the idea of killing and butchering someone more than just eating them if that makes sense? Theres that level of seperation and delusion I could indulge in. That's why I love videos like this. It really makes you think.
After watching this video I wanted to know more about the Donner party, so I went over to Google. Typed it in, and my phone autocorrected it to "Dinner party"... Freudian slip? 😂
I would ask if you have any stories from them but I feel like thats one thing you dont really pass down to your children and grandchildren.. Being forced to eat your family and friends isnt really a fun bed time story
It makes a ton of sense that they would have resorted to cannibalism so quickly if they thought the people dying had starved to death rather than died from the cold. That would light a fire under anyone's behind if they have genuine fear that they're going to be next if they don't find something to eat *right now.*
I can't imagine living with the knowledge you ate someone you knew, my great grandfather is a holocaust survivor and he often goes to high schools and talks about how he survived, but cannibalism is the one thing he won't talk about, he acknowledges it happened but refuses to speak of it
dengoddaeng. your poor great grandfather. terrible memories for him. however, i've never seen anything wrong with cannibalizing the dead. killing to cannibalize is another story and i'd need more background. sometimes, it's not as wrong as people would like it to be. no, i've never eaten human flesh.
Unless i killed them to eat them, I would tell myself that they would have wanted me to eat them, because it's what i would want them to do if the situation was reversed. It's just a body. A shell. I'd rather the person i knew to survive. But it would still have this horrid lingering feeling
@@Hippidippimahm And cannibalism is a very grave sin as well in the Abrahamic religions, except in the most dire situations which many Jews found themselves in. It's heartbreaking that the Nazis forced them to abandon so much of their culture and religion just to survive, like some kind of collective psychological torture.
"Do you kill the skinny guy because he can't fight back? Or do you all gang up on the body builder because of more steaks and chops? These are decisions people have had to make" -George Carlin
@@kidragakas I can't think of a person (outside of my family and friends) who has had a greater influence on my thinking and thought processes than George
You definitely don't know how you'll react to a situation until you're in it. My sister was fiercely judgemental of women who got abortions and women who had sex before marriage in general. And then she got pregnant at the age of 17 and suddenly her view on these things changed verry quickly Edit: just to clarify, she didn't actually end up being pregnant (faulty pregnancy test) but the lesson she learned certainly stuck
No offense intended here, but I often wish unplanned pregnancy on people like your sister (not your sister per say). Unfortunately I reserve some of my most scathing dislike for people who are self righteous on a subject ONLY because they feel safe from ever having to suffer from its effects. I am glad to hear that she came to her senses, though.
@@victoriadiesattheend.8478 I feel you. Maybe then they won’t be so judgy. But there are still plenty of prolife women that still think they’re above other women getting abortions… even tho they’re also getting an abortion.
No, they lose creative control, just look at dr. Pimple Popper. I stopped watching her. Don't need each person's life story, only how they received whatever is wrong with them. It totally ruins the show they set out to build. So disappointed
Yes. I knew. But I am a native Californian. (born here, not First Nation) Elitha Donner is buried about 2 miles down the street from my house. I travel 80 regularly and have seen snow depths similar to what the Donner Party experienced. That fact never fails to cross my mind. Even in the summer I think how they didn’t have a lovely highway to cross the Sierras. Elitha was a teacher here and now has a school named for her.
I seriously thought that the Donner party was just like a family of like 14 who got stranded in a mountain cave in Colorado for 3 or so months, and went insane and killed each other and ate the bodies as both part of their descent into madness and as a survival tactic. I had no idea that it was close to a hundred people who only cannibalized when they believed it was absolutely necessary to their survival. Edit: Autocorrect changed Donner to dinner for some reason, had to fix that.
Here's a fun fact: Starvation makes you go crazy before it kills you. If someone goes with minimal food for long enough, they start to show paranoia, hysteria, depression, and other kinds of psychological distress. In one of the first studies of starvation (in the 40's) one of the participants cut off three of his own fingers and couldn't explain why.
@@FIRING_BLIND that was before laws were put in place to protect human test subjects. Laws weren't put in place until at least the 70s. In the 40s you could force people to do whatever you wanted for an experiment. Some of it was for the greater good. Some of it was for a scientist's own sadistic purposes.
When my husband and I went to restaurants, I used to always give our name as “Donner”. When our name was called they always called for “the Donner party”. I always got a chuckle from that. The host/hostess never seemed to notice! 😂
Came back to watch this again. "Donner Camp: Picnic Area" Just now got this, no clue how I missed it before. Thanks for making such great, educational content.
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The Donner party story has been sanitized for the history books. I’ve never heard a lot of this and definitely didn’t hear about them killing the natives and eating them.
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Oh I thought she said that after they got scared and took off, they caught up with them later and ate them. Thanks for clarification.
I had a good friend named Rick Donner. We were radio DJ's at a station in Texas in the 1960's. His eponymous ancestor survived the disaster and opened a popular _restaurant_ in San Francisco.
99 times out of 100: Wow the actual story isn't nearly as bad as the legends. This time: Wow, the actual story is so much worse. So... much... worse...
As some who legit often struggle to just get out of the bed some mornings, I can't even begin to appreciate how difficult it would have been just to survive, let alone attempt to keep trudging on, or even just digging out the snow.
I was scared as a child when before Christmas break of my sixth grade year, my history teacher put on a documentary on it. It wasn’t one of those documentaries where they visit the memorial or anything, it was one of the documentaries where they acted out what was happening. And let’s just say I will not forget that day ever.
I sympathize greatly. Our first grade teacher put on a documentary about Egyptian mummies, which showed an actual mummy being unwrapped, with a close-up on the dead, blackened, rotted face. Ended up with a phobia of mummified bodies that - while light-years better than I was - I'm still not 100% over. Why do I watch this channel? I think I may be a secret masochist... and I pick what videos I watch carefully and am well practiced in shutting my eyes very quickly.
My school did that too--like in fourth grade...they went into graphic details (reading out diary entries) about how the dead were butchered and cooked.
Same accept it was my 7th grade and mummies. I was so scared it gave me nightmares and I felt sick that I had to leave early from school. Let's just say mom was rather angry about that. I still have a, albeit slight, fear of mummies.
I watched a documentary way back in the '90s called "the Donner Party" with my parents. The irony is it was on a VHS with a very poorly hand written label - We thought the tape was called "The Dinner Party". o.O
I’m overwhelmed by all of the reasons I have for respecting, honoring and expressing gratitude for this woman’s involvement for sharing and dissecting history. I am a sociologist, 74 year old American woman who has spent the last 35 years of my life in Europe. Throughout these years I have been confronted by social norms which have shaken, and sometimes destroyed, my “comfortable secure and certain knowledge” of how society works. Sociology, from my perspective and belief, is primarily an intensely personal interaction reflecting every sociologists insights. From my perspective, I am convinced that a lively merger of various sociologist conversations must inevitably benefit all of us. As I have recently encountered on UA-cam “just saying”.
You asked about archaeological evidence... at Jamestown they really do have bones with teeth marks in them as evidence of cannibalism in that colony, so that's a fun thing.
I have an archaeological report somewhere in my stacks of Donner Party books for an excavation at one of the cabin sites I might have to pull it out, a little light reading before bed tonight.
The problem with the Donner camp evidence is that as mentioned, there was a point at which another party 'cleaned up' most of the evidence by incinerating it in one of the cabins. There was plenty prior to that which adds to the written accounts of the time, it's just been lost by actions taken shortly after the tragedy so while written descriptions of the butchered bones remain, the actual bones are not able to be displayed or studied. What is left is mostly cremated and under that monument.
@@laughingcoyote8789 Yes, there is a particular pattern of cut marks on the bones, including the skulls, on several of the recovered Jamestown skeletons.
Dear Caitlin, I loved this video! I grew up in Northern California about an hour from Donner Lake, and lived in the area for a total of 30 years. It was fun to watch you explore and learn about it. Also, Donner Lake Kitchen used to make the BEST huevos rancheros on the planet! I haven’t been there in years, but if it’s still the same chef, or someone who learned from him, then they are probably still amazing!
Reminds me of a little snowman I made when I was a kid, when we stopped near the Oregon California border in our RV. I made a little black top hat out of construction paper for it. It turned out really cute. Left it behind for someone to enjoy in the rest area. This was in the early 70s.
According to another couple of comments, here. They did....but they still froze to death and the Donners simply found the bodies and butchered them. But I agree; Poor Louis and Salvador.
@@SpukiTheLoveKitten75 When they found Louis and Salvador, both men were not quite ready to eat. So they prepared them a bit (killed them) and then they ate them.
OliviaOnAir Winsteard they were forced - I believe by Sutter - who sent supplies back into the Sierra Nevada to the trapped party along with Luis and Salvador.
I have been to Donner Pass and it is a quite an experience. You can feel the spirits of the ones who lived and died there. The day we were there a light mist was in the air and it was cloudy. It was in the spring/summer, but you could feel the hopeless of the people just the same.
They would be those people beating others to death with the nearest heavy object. Or riling the group up to do crazy things in an effort to survive, then die anyway. It's kind of funny.
I couldn't resort to cannibalism. I'd be the one who tells them look, just kill me quickly and tell people I was killed by an animal or something. I wouldn't mind dying to make sure my loved ones survived
Learned about all this when I was in the fire academy. They used the donner party to help train people in wilderness survival. So we had to find ways to find the food they didnt know existed with the same tools they had.
I spent the first 3 minutes of this video saying to myself “I *never* heard of cannibalism on Donner pass”. “They never figured out what the cause was!” Then I realized when you mentioned California that I was thinking Russian Dyatlov incident not California Donner. Moral of the story-never go on an expedition in the high snowy mountains in winter with an expedition led by someone with the last name starting letter D.
I didn't know anything about the Donner party other than the rumors of cannibalism, because I didn't go to school in CA. But I read _Ordeal By Hunger_ and that's when I found out their situation was much worse than people talk about. For one, they were already starving when they stopped and made camp, having lost most of their animals and supplies (and water) crossing the desert. The book is just one long, detailed account of desperate day after desperate day. However, there was one family that survived and never resorted to cannibalism.
Would you do a video on Julia Buccola Petta ""The Italian Bride" Julia died in childbirth at the age of 29. After her burial, her mother experienced dreams of Julia telling her that she was still alive. After six years, Julia's body was exhumed. The body was found to have not decayed at all." She is buried in Mount Carmel Catholic Cemetery in Chicago.
“According to legend, soon after Petta's death, her mother Filomena began experiencing dreams in which Petta was telling her that she was still alive. No contemporary source has been found to back up the legend” “Observations of non-decayed bodies that have been deceased for years, even decades, is not uncommon. The exhumations of Abraham Lincoln, Solanus Casey and Eva Perón are a few of many famous examples of this.”
I once read that a surviving member of the party was interviewed years afterwards and she said something like this, “Don’t take any shortcuts and hurry along every chance you get.” Our ancestors certainly paid a heavy price. Further, Caitlin please stay awesome!
As a Canadian, I'd never heard of the Donner party until I was skimming through your videos a few days back. I assumed it was about a German political group, and picked more interesting death related content. Then I saw a Puppet History video advert for the Donners, and I realized it might not be boring or political. So I clicked. When I watched that video I had **zero clue** what I was walking into 🤣 I watched this vid the same day as I watched the Puppet History vid. Wild wild stuff. I had no idea there were different kinds of cannibalism btw, so thanks for more learning! (Genuine not sarcasm)
Oh my god I grew up right next to Donner Pass. When I was a kid we took field trips to Donner Pass and actually made us role play as members of the party. As a nine year old I thought it was awesome, but now that I'm older I wonder what creepy adult had that idea.
You kidding? I've had to teach nine year-olds and man... anything to get them interested. Annnnyyyythingggggg... Acting out cannibalism? if it keeps a classroom of kids occupied, do eet.
You make death easier. My mom just died 😢, your humor and great explanation of death gave me some peace. My mom would have laughed at your humor , and loved you to. Thank you 😊, it helped me except my mommas death.
I'm really sorry your mom just died. 😔 Caitlyn definitely makes dealing with death a lot easier and I know I'll count on her expertise and goofy sense of humor to truly help me! 😌
I'm sorry that your mom passed away. My mom passed away about a year and a half ago. I am the only one in the family that is handling it well. My family is stuck in their grief and not moving forward as mom would want them to. I was the only one in the family that told my mom if she did not want to fight to love that it was perfectly acceptable and that we loved her either way. My family guilted her into "fighting" to live so she died painfully and slow, she could have enjoyed her last few months but instead she was tortured with medical treatment with very low chance of living and an even lower chance of having a quality of life worth living. Losing a loved one is so tough and the emotions that we go through are even more difficult than the initial loss. There are days when for no reason a thought will pop up in your mind and make you sad, happy, laugh, or cry and sometimes you might do all of them in the same day. I hope that your heart heals and you memorialize your mom in a way that you can move forward, not past but forward.
me, brazilian, not really knowing much about the donner party: just woke up, it's a nice morning. look at this interesting year old video from caitlin, let's watch it. caitlin: butchered bodies, skulls sawed open to get at the brains, human flesh... me: 👁️👄👁️
Me, Mexican, I’d never heard about this before, and now I won’t be able to stop thinking about it when I order doner kebabs for lunch at a restaurant I sometimes visit…
I had a survival situation in the Caribbean ocean many years ago. Nature can be your executioner and your strength. On a broken down boat....floating aimlessly. Kept alive by fishing and rationing water. Then , the storms come...then the hot Sun ...4 days...Thank you for this Donner Party story...
I love your story telling style. That combined with your attention to historical details, and (most importantly) your respect for the dead, make your videos absolute treasures.
Get this comment to number one, because this is exactly what makes Caitlin so damn important when it comes to covering such _highly_ sensitive topics. Also, let's please praise her for her well-timed dark humor -- it's just enough to help us laugh at something that would otherwise feel overwhelming, but she _never_ goes overboard with it and uses the tragedy of the subject as the butt of the joke. This woman is _treasure_ and a goddamn *rockstar* ♥
Ty so much for all this information. I was always interested in this tragic story and to see the actual location is mind blowing. You are a wonderful storyteller; loving your sense of humor,
yarixza mendoza I mean they tried to force young adults to read the bluest eye in my school. Yeah it was high school but they didn’t send out a letter about the book or let anyone opt out. Many students had actual legit traumas they didn’t need forced to read. Even in high school or past
There's suspected cannibalisation in the Oregon Trail... last time I played it, my family were starving until Lars died of snakebite. Then, mysteriously, we found food. O_o
Aaron Burr Atwood. Honestly, I’ve had symptoms of it after only a couple of hours. I walked into my house and panicked because I couldn’t see anything for several minutes. I only shoveled my driveway! The headache lasted for hours afterwards.
Justin and Mary Ward sorry for your loss, I lost my mom 12 years ago and it’s a game changer. I too have found some measure of comfort in these videos, she answers questions that I was too afraid to ask and I somehow feel better understanding the facts than letting my imagination get the better of me. Thanks Caitlyn 💜
Caitlin because of your advice when it comes to having control of funeral and what things I can and can’t do I just want to thank you because of your channel I was able to make arranging my father’s funeral easier and I managed to inform my mother that my father’s corpse does not need to be embalmed Thank you
Missy Maria thank you he passed six days ago and I never imagined how quickly everything has to be put into motioned but thanks to Caitlin I managed to be so informed of what I can and can’t do
@@ussinussinongawd516 I am before this channel I was clueless what to do what information was out there but thanks to Caitlin and the channel I went into arranging a funeral confidently and it helped the funeral director understand what I wanted for my dad ( although he gave me strict instructions in a letter) I already knew what my dad wanted
I lived in the city where Jeffrey Dahmer killed 17 people. They tore the building down and had to hire security because people wanted pieces of it. Someone offered money to buy his apartment contents. Thankfully it was destroyed. I think the fascination with cannibalism is still very real.
@@JennaLeigh People have fascinations with weird things. Dahmer is a part of history. That shit would also fetch a hefty price. It's not that hard to comprehend.
6:55, interesting Donner Party Fact, The DP only lost their race with the weather by ONE DAY. Despite all the mistakes....they almost made it. Thanks for the video.
Your black humor never ceases to amuse me. I always find your videos informative, educational and highly amusing. Also, finding another historian with insatiable curiosity I highly respect !
Coming from someone who lives 45 minutes from Donner Lake - You've done such a good job in this video! My uncle who has lived in Truckee for 30 years goes out treasure hunting, he's found things from the Donner Party that's in the museum. PS, it's a ton busier in spring and summer. A lot of school field trips in the spring!
There was a cafeteria in a Federal office named for the Donner Party. I believe it has since changed its name to something less provocative and truthful.
I think if I went to visit that area I'd be tempted to bring along my own food ... or at least go vegetarian during my stay. "Want a burger??" "Um ... no ... no thanks ..."
I took that same route when I moved from WI to Yuba City California (right next to Sutter.) We went through Donner's pass in late April. Our whole way was nice and sunny, but there it was a total blizzard. Scary to drive through
I recently wrote a VERY in depth paper about the Donner Party, and it was nice to see it treated with such respect. I don’t mind that you made jokes about it. With things like this, jokes need to be made to keep the full reality from overwhelming us. I also think that, whatever people say when they are will fed, in Donner Party conditions, most people would turn to cannibalism.
I absolutely love your personality. You are one of my heroes. You have given me an acceptance of death, and I'm comfortable with death now. We're friends. Thanks
I have backpacked their route through the mountains and down into Salt Lake City. They had to cut trees to climb to that final pass and it took them two weeks to get through. Wagon wheel marks are still visible on rocks.
@@TheLurkerAtTheThreshold i understood the joke but since they said that there scandinavian i figured english probably isn't there first language i would make sure they weren't confused by the wording as they might not know the other meaning for party
@@piarateking8094 We speak English a lot more grammatically correct than most Americans, I've been corrected some southerners grammar far too often on Reddit. Northern Europeans are literally the last people you should assume need help with their English.
I live nearby there and I am also a descendant of the Eddy family that was in the Donner party. The museum there is amazing and I got to add my name in their descendants book 😊thanks for sharing this survival story 🍽
Reese Kewp ~ lol well from what I’ve gathered about my descendants is that they were of trying to get help and rescue for the others. So it’s unclear if any were in the eating or eaten by and it’s a hardship story of survival so desperate situations call for desperate measures BUT I don’t think I would of eaten any human meat lol I probably would have been eaten 😁💜
The people with the Donner party only ate people who were already dead.. They also made sure to not eat any of their own relatives. It was a really rough time. They actually ate all the cowhide and bufflo hide tents and rugs and basically anything remotely edible before they became desperate enough to actually eat human flesh..
When I was 14, my sister, dad and I, got stuck on top of Donner pass while driving to Susanville. The whole freeway was stopped, we couldn’t move, and there were people outside of their cars playing in the snow with their kids... MY dad took it upon himself to tell us this sweet story while we were stuck in the snowstorm for 4 hours. 🙂🙃
*Carson City! Not Susanville*
mndlgh Why are all dad’s like that tho?
Savannah Nason 😂 isn’t that the truth.
It's our duty lol
I CACKLED! at this!!! 🤣🤣🤣 we were driving through when I was 16, so I was aware of the Donner party. Same thing happened, my dad thought to bring up this story on our beautiful drive... then it turned into who in the family would have to go first (as a joke obviously.. he's not actually crazy! Lol)
Taylor Reiser our dad’s sound like they’d get along great! 😂
"Your wife makes great soup"
"Yea, but I'll miss her"
Hahahahha
Heh... Noice!
Lololol🤣
Lol
#CannibalComdey
Eating establishments named after the Donner party? Welcome to McDonners, you want fries with him?
I just opened my casket and climbed right in after this comment. 💀☠⚰🤣
😄😆😆😅😅
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
This comment deserves 1000 likes, lmao
Don't forget the Frosty
I love how she handles these topics. She makes jokes throughout it and keeps it funny but she also takes the time to look at it from a serious perspective and teaches the real history and psychology behind it
It's that her jokes aren't at the expense of the victims, that I love. She's making it funny but without lessening what everyone went through.
Interesting lady that popped up on feed. Subscribed and hope to see more. Great history of the Donner party !
@@oldtimer427you'll love the rest of her videos, she is very consistent with quality
I clicked "save" so I could add this video to my "Watch Later" playlist.
UA-cam saved the video to my
"Cooking" playlist 😬
dear god no why
LMFAO NO💀💀
Get some Chianti and fava beans..
🤣
More like the dahmer party
Thank you for this, I just started laughing so hard
I'm an American history teacher. My class recently finished the westward expansion unit. I'll show them your video during our enrichment period next week. The kids will love your mix of comedy and historical accuracy. Well done, lady!
Id love to be in your class!
Thank you! Need more teachers like you.
I'm happy you look at your videos before showint them to your students because one of my teachers just shows us useless docs and they're like 3 hour long
Joy T. Where were you when I was in school
Joy T. are you willing to come to chile to be my teacher 😔👉🏻👈🏻 we need more teachers like you here
Death Mama has uploaded, her children are fed
- chipped stars - >> Lol, that would be like a bird...wait...
Disturbingly accurate😂👀
Yet they crave MOAR
@@mik-exe- they hunger
@@mik-exe- for DEATH
i was listening to LPOTL's coverage of this story, and what john stark, an unpaid rescuer in the last group, did actually made me cry. he saved 9 people when the other two (paid) people with him just wanted to take one child each and leave the rest to die.
he picked up a couple of the kids, moved them down the trail, went back for more, and did this over and over and over and didn't stop, rest, or eat until they were all safe and out of the snow. stark and the 9 people he rescued all made it back alive.
Stories like this, even in such tragedy, always restore my belief that humanity is good.
It wasn’t John Stark, it was John Snow.
@@colinyandon6137 it was john schull stark. john snow was an english physician, unless you mean jon snow, the GOT character.
OMG I read about this today too and it also made me cry and cry. What a man. What a truly compassionate, kind-hearted, courageous, self-sacrificing example of humanity. I'm so glad I learned about that little piece of beauty amid such an atrocious, nightmare of a real life event. It was truly moving.
Patrick Dolan: “Lets draw straws to see who gets eaten!”
Patrick Dolan approximately 3 minutes later: “lol jk dudes that was a v crazy idea right?”
HAHAHAHA!
draws straws..PD: "Well isn't this ironic? Its like rain on your wedding day."
😂😂😂
"Ummm.... do over. Best of two outta three?"
Everyone EXCEPT Patrick Dolan---No backsies!!! 🙄
Years ago I worked with a Donner family member. She said to me, “Well, if you can’t beat em, eat em.” We all laughed.... I never forgot.
Can you imagine having that as your family legacy, you'd have to have a sense of humor about it or it could really bum you out
@@crazyredheadgrl Could be worse, I'm related to several members of the SS Tottenkampfverbande and the SD.
@@johnathanblackwell9960 oh no!!! Yes it could be.
Johnathan Blackwell I’m so sorry if I sound ignorant, but could you explain to me what that is?
@@heysaucemikehere1804 Tottenkampfverbande were the nazi concentration camp guards, the SD was the SS equivalent of the Abwher or german intelligence agency.
“Would you eat a person?”
I’m not really in the *mood* for person... how about pancakes?
we can make braincakes!.... because eh, yes,..eh,.. sorry, we are right out of flower!
@Night Gardennone of them knew the lands and a lot of them were immigrants from the old world who never really experienced North American wilderness. The natives seemingly knew what they were doing but they couldn't communicate, and they ended up murdering them so yeah... And I guess when you're starving and cannibalism starts looking like a reasonable idea, the decision to eat the readily available dead becomes easier the further along they go
sourgreendolly ...... you missed the perfect opportunity to say “handcakes” and I’m very mad.
...People Pancakes.
Maybe a youngish raw vegan who only ate organic food.
This was a sad story until we got to Nancy. Young child, cold and starving, eating her own mother but not knowing bc at least the adults around her had that kind of courtesy. But finding out later....I can't imagine. I really got emotional then, and when seeing the large rock memorial, it broke me. I really appreciate your videos on these subjects bc you understand where the humor should be placed and when we should be respectful.
That's almost Hannibal Lecter's origin story, soldiers fed him his own sister
This might be messed up but I would gladly give my flesh/body/meat so my child could live. It would be an honor to feed my precious little one one last time 😢😢
I also thought that. Under such horrible circumstances I too would want my flesh to still nourish my living child.
I know that the Party at least had the courtesy (at least in the beginning) to make sure that no one ate the flesh of a relative
@@dianeaishamonday9125I think that is sooo much a thing of perspective. As a mother? 100%. Do I rationally understand my mothers feels the same about me and would want me too? Yes? As a daughter? No way. I don't think I could psychologically survive eating my own mother, at that point the outlook of the life I might survive to is so bleak I would think I would rather die.
But of course all that is speculation with my filled fridge 10 feet away. We never know how we would feel. I just think it's interesting how fundamentally different the thought of being eaten/vs eating is for me. It's easier to sacrifice and say of course, you have to survive! But simultaneously what a burden that survival would be
The saddest part for me was that the final rescue party had to leave some people behind because they had become catatonic and couldn't assist in their own rescue.
Dolores J. Nurss how come they became catatonic
@@thetillerwiller4696 Crashed blood sugar, extreme cold, and trauma could each have done it all by themselves. Collectively it was too much. Some of the people could not be stirred enough to get them to walk out of there or even look up, and the rescuers had no means to carry them.
My ancestors were in that rescue party.
@@GloryInWonderland is it John Stark? I hope it was John Stark cuz he was a hero among the rescue party.
Some others were not as noble sadly.
@@johanvajse8410 I'm not sure. I have a story written by like my great-great-aunt second removed. She was writing about all of the stories she could remember from her mother and grandmother. In it, she mentions that my family was traveling with the Donner's initially. They decided to go the long way around and not go through the pass. And then they went back in the rescue party, but she doesn't mention any names specifically.
I’m cool with people eating my dead body. hope I’m tasty, been self marinating In garlic dipping sauce for years lol
Harley Kelevra if I died of anything that isn’t murder I’d wouldn’t mind letting people live by eating me
I seriously told my family to eat me when I die. They were grossed out 😂😂😂
Bbq sauce here.
Mmmmmmm garlic !
Spicy chili buffalo sauce here. I should be pretty tender.
I’m related to the first survivors that traveled through Death Valley by way of covered wagon. They survived by eating their dead, including infants. I’m literally alive today because my family ate my family.
WOW
That’s pretty gnarly. Thank you for being candid and sharing that with us. I’m glad we’ve not had to endure those situations.
Yeah, wow is right, that’s crazy. I didn’t realize such an untenable dilemma was faced in multiple situations. Statistically, I guess it’s pretty obvious the Donner party couldn’t have been the only ones, especially given the difficulty of the terrain and the distance necessary to traverse. Wow. I just can’t imagine. Glad you’re alive, Jessica.
Your brilliant, tongue-in-cheek comment, "I'm alive today because my family ate my family," shall stay in my mind forever, since it's probably true for lots of us. 😱
You're not you when you're hungry
Thank you for discussing the Donner Party. It's a compelling story to actually read, and goes far beyond the cannibalism parts. Most intriguing of all the emigrants is Tamsen Eustis Donner. Simply an amazing gal, educated, a herbalist, a woman who'd already suffered personal loss, an interesting letter-writer. She kept a journal--which has never been found. When you read about Tamsen--who warned George: Let's don't take that shortcut--you have to admire everything about her. For instance, she sent her children ahead with one of the rescue parties while she stayed back at that grisly campsite to care for her mortally wounded husband, George. There are many good books--perhaps none as well written as Smoke Gets in Your Eyes--but the story itself is simply unforgettable.
What a shame her journal disapeared.
You must read The Mothers by Vardis Fisher. The children survived because the mothers kept them alive
The Indifferent Stars Above is another great book about the Donner party.
If I was with a stranded group and I was dying, I’d totally be fine with the rest of the group eating my body to survive after I died. I mean, would I rather have them leave me for bugs and wildlife to decompose or would it be better for them to use my nutritious organs to stay alive possibly in time to be rescued. I’m dead, doesn’t change anything for me!
But would you eat someone? Maybe if they gave consent before passing because they knew they were near the end? I don't think I couldn't handle carving up a travel companion. It would already have to be prepared. Heck I couldn't even slaughter animal. Then again, I dont know what my mind would be like in survival mode.
Burtasaurus Rex If you were gonna starve...It’d be horrifying but it’s better than death. We show the dead respect of course but not at the expense of the living.
Burtasaurus Rex I’d definitely need to hear them say that they were okay with being eaten. I feel like it would be hard to butcher them, I agree.
@@ButterflyGhostBFG well it depends. Again, I don't know the impact panic, fear, and starvation would have on my mental faculties. I do know I'd hate the idea of killing and butchering someone more than just eating them if that makes sense? Theres that level of seperation and delusion I could indulge in. That's why I love videos like this. It really makes you think.
Emily Garcia agree
After watching this video I wanted to know more about the Donner party, so I went over to Google. Typed it in, and my phone autocorrected it to "Dinner party"... Freudian slip? 😂
Hahaha!
He was like, "It was just a prank bro!"
Hahaha! Google, you so clever!!!!😂😂
Google is trying to protect you
I’m related to the survivors and I didn’t know some of this.
Cody'sLab hi Cody! Wow so cool seeing you here!
I would ask if you have any stories from them but I feel like thats one thing you dont really pass down to your children and grandchildren.. Being forced to eat your family and friends isnt really a fun bed time story
Cody'sLab nice to see you here, Cody(: best wishes to the misses! ❤
I was just wondering about the generations that came after them.
Hey i love your videos! I had no idea you were related to some of the survivors, that's so interesting
It makes a ton of sense that they would have resorted to cannibalism so quickly if they thought the people dying had starved to death rather than died from the cold. That would light a fire under anyone's behind if they have genuine fear that they're going to be next if they don't find something to eat *right now.*
I can't imagine living with the knowledge you ate someone you knew, my great grandfather is a holocaust survivor and he often goes to high schools and talks about how he survived, but cannibalism is the one thing he won't talk about, he acknowledges it happened but refuses to speak of it
dengoddaeng. your poor great grandfather. terrible memories for him. however, i've never seen anything wrong with cannibalizing the dead. killing to cannibalize is another story and i'd need more background. sometimes, it's not as wrong as people would like it to be. no, i've never eaten human flesh.
Unless i killed them to eat them, I would tell myself that they would have wanted me to eat them, because it's what i would want them to do if the situation was reversed. It's just a body. A shell. I'd rather the person i knew to survive.
But it would still have this horrid lingering feeling
I can’t imagine how horrifying it must have been especially for Jews. They believe in keeping their bodies whole in death.
@@Hippidippimahm And cannibalism is a very grave sin as well in the Abrahamic religions, except in the most dire situations which many Jews found themselves in. It's heartbreaking that the Nazis forced them to abandon so much of their culture and religion just to survive, like some kind of collective psychological torture.
I imagine there is a great deal he wont talk about.
"If you're starving and you know it, eat your friends" 👏👏
If you're starving and you know it, eat your friends " 👏👏
This is most definitely my favourite comment 😂
If you’re starving and you know it,
And you really wanna show it...
💀
😂😂😂😂👏👏👏👏👏😂😂😂👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
If your starving and you know it Wtf and here goes it if your starving and you it eat your friends!!!!😲
....and your life will surely show it , if your starving and you know it eat your friends!!!!🍔
"Do you kill the skinny guy because he can't fight back? Or do you all gang up on the body builder because of more steaks and chops? These are decisions people have had to make" -George Carlin
... is there ever a situation where there isn’t a fitting George Carlin quote? 😂
@@kidragakas I can't think of a person (outside of my family and friends) who has had a greater influence on my thinking and thought processes than George
@@zenjon7892 I frequently ask myself WWGCD, and inevitably, he HAS said something on the subject 😂
George Carlin is like that wise old uncle everybody really needs
Body builder 100%, the more people that are eaten before the body builder goes, the harder it’ll be to take out the body builder when it comes to it.
You definitely don't know how you'll react to a situation until you're in it. My sister was fiercely judgemental of women who got abortions and women who had sex before marriage in general. And then she got pregnant at the age of 17 and suddenly her view on these things changed verry quickly
Edit: just to clarify, she didn't actually end up being pregnant (faulty pregnancy test) but the lesson she learned certainly stuck
No offense intended here, but I often wish unplanned pregnancy on people like your sister (not your sister per say). Unfortunately I reserve some of my most scathing dislike for people who are self righteous on a subject ONLY because they feel safe from ever having to suffer from its effects. I am glad to hear that she came to her senses, though.
@@victoriadiesattheend.8478 AKA the Republican party
@@antony1397 killing your child isn't the best way to solve that problem
@@victoriadiesattheend.8478 I feel you. Maybe then they won’t be so judgy. But there are still plenty of prolife women that still think they’re above other women getting abortions… even tho they’re also getting an abortion.
Exactly. It’s easy to say or judge until you are in those shoes.
Someone get this woman a netflix show
Yes!!!
Yes!!!
Why? So we can have to pay to see her?
Dammit I'm watching this at night and in night mode and your profile pic looked like a shadow of something on my screen 😅😅
No, they lose creative control, just look at dr. Pimple Popper. I stopped watching her. Don't need each person's life story, only how they received whatever is wrong with them. It totally ruins the show they set out to build. So disappointed
I just can’t get over how accurate and chillingly beautiful the title “The Indifferent Stars Above” is.
Finally someone acknowledged how amazing that title is.
I thought the same thing. It's poetry.
We are not separate from those stars, we are all made of star stuff. Yet they are so far away and we are so alone
Tragically poetic!
Where does that stand?
to heck with 'desperation' and 'starvation'- if you slow down ahead of me in Walmart when I'm hangry, I'm liable to eat you
lmfao omg this comment deserves 1000 more likes
Not the worst thing to ever happen at Walmart
Best comment ever 😂
Your profile pic makes this 1000x better
Lmao😂😂😂
Yes. I knew. But I am a native Californian. (born here, not First Nation) Elitha Donner is buried about 2 miles down the street from my house. I travel 80 regularly and have seen snow depths similar to what the Donner Party experienced. That fact never fails to cross my mind. Even in the summer I think how they didn’t have a lovely highway to cross the Sierras.
Elitha was a teacher here and now has a school named for her.
Miwok native here First Nations are Canadian
I seriously thought that the Donner party was just like a family of like 14 who got stranded in a mountain cave in Colorado for 3 or so months, and went insane and killed each other and ate the bodies as both part of their descent into madness and as a survival tactic. I had no idea that it was close to a hundred people who only cannibalized when they believed it was absolutely necessary to their survival. Edit: Autocorrect changed Donner to dinner for some reason, had to fix that.
i mean....dinner party DOES fit
JESUS CHRIST THAT TYPO
Oh no…
I mean autocorrect was kinda right...
Here's a fun fact: Starvation makes you go crazy before it kills you. If someone goes with minimal food for long enough, they start to show paranoia, hysteria, depression, and other kinds of psychological distress. In one of the first studies of starvation (in the 40's) one of the participants cut off three of his own fingers and couldn't explain why.
Da literal fuq. Why’d they LET him?
@@FIRING_BLIND wondering about that too. Weren't too worried about ethics I guess 😅
Cool fact!
Extreme hangryness.
@@FIRING_BLIND that was before laws were put in place to protect human test subjects. Laws weren't put in place until at least the 70s. In the 40s you could force people to do whatever you wanted for an experiment. Some of it was for the greater good. Some of it was for a scientist's own sadistic purposes.
When my husband and I went to restaurants, I used to always give our name as “Donner”. When our name was called they always called for “the Donner party”. I always got a chuckle from that. The host/hostess never seemed to notice! 😂
This reminds me of when people make kahoot names like hugh jass and stuff
it's also fun to mess with the numbers - like, "Donner party of six!" ..."Um, five?" ....."I'm sorry, four?"
Had a cousin who heard that call out and they changed the number in mid statement. "Donner party of 8- i mean 7!"
Came back to watch this again. "Donner Camp: Picnic Area" Just now got this, no clue how I missed it before. Thanks for making such great, educational content.
The Donner party story has been sanitized for the history books. I’ve never heard a lot of this and definitely didn’t hear about them killing the natives and eating them.
Oh I thought she said that after they got scared and took off, they caught up with them later and ate them.
Thanks for clarification.
@@OKae88 ....and then they ate them.
Lewis and Salvador (the savages) refused to eat human flesh.
Violet Brown probably because they didn't want to turn into wendigos
They didn't eat the indians, the Indians where smart and left them in the middle of the night. Go back and listen to it.
“Patrick Short-Straw Dolan” sounds like a frat bro who _really_ got screwed during the hazing process and never lived it down.
Julian Fantasia Lol...it does!😂
Cannibal Caitlin has a nice ring to it know ?
Cannibal Caitlin carves corpse for consumption in California
(Try saying that 5 times fast)
How about Magic Caitlin? "Abra-cadaver! The sawed-in-half corpse is whole again!" 😀
Why did I just picture her belting out death metal songs.
Bahahaha this made my day. Thank you
I was gonna say it but then i realised someone might hear me XD
lol
I had a good friend named Rick Donner. We were radio DJ's at a station in Texas in the 1960's. His eponymous ancestor survived the disaster and opened a popular _restaurant_ in San Francisco.
99 times out of 100: Wow the actual story isn't nearly as bad as the legends.
This time: Wow, the actual story is so much worse. So... much... worse...
This is such an underrated part of history. I am glad she did a video on it.
24 minutes?? caitlin has blessed us 🙏🏽
Exactly!!
And 16 seconds of glory my dude
Yaaaaaaas 🙏🙏🙏
Caitlin is the shit!
Yaaas
Louis and Salvador: "these white people are crazy" lol
I know, right? I'd be like, dude, I don't know about you, but I am so out of here.
AND THEN THEY STILL GOT MURDERED AND EATEN
WOW
2020 and this statement hasn't aged at all!
White people just be getting more crazy!!! 😳🤦
@@Lucy-fn9rj this surprises me as the Miwok were from western side of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Those 2 should have been able to survive.
@@EvilEves1 yeah, but not if the white people who travelled with them found them and murdered + cannibalised them
As some who legit often struggle to just get out of the bed some mornings, I can't even begin to appreciate how difficult it would have been just to survive, let alone attempt to keep trudging on, or even just digging out the snow.
I was scared as a child when before Christmas break of my sixth grade year, my history teacher put on a documentary on it. It wasn’t one of those documentaries where they visit the memorial or anything, it was one of the documentaries where they acted out what was happening. And let’s just say I will not forget that day ever.
I sympathize greatly. Our first grade teacher put on a documentary about Egyptian mummies, which showed an actual mummy being unwrapped, with a close-up on the dead, blackened, rotted face. Ended up with a phobia of mummified bodies that - while light-years better than I was - I'm still not 100% over.
Why do I watch this channel? I think I may be a secret masochist... and I pick what videos I watch carefully and am well practiced in shutting my eyes very quickly.
Oh my
Same. We were also in 6th grade and I was way too into it
My school did that too--like in fourth grade...they went into graphic details (reading out diary entries) about how the dead were butchered and cooked.
Same accept it was my 7th grade and mummies. I was so scared it gave me nightmares and I felt sick that I had to leave early from school. Let's just say mom was rather angry about that. I still have a, albeit slight, fear of mummies.
I watched a documentary way back in the '90s called "the Donner Party" with my parents. The irony is it was on a VHS with a very poorly hand written label - We thought the tape was called "The Dinner Party". o.O
Drewcatmorris 😂😂😂
Baaahahahahahahaha!!!!
Omgggg 😂😂😂
Well it kind of was a dinner party they just ate long pork.
@@stefangingrich2373 lmao I was about to say that well, technically, that's not wrong
This would be the BEST season of AHS
YES
Umm... FUCK YES!!!
dude....YES
We already had a cannibalism/early American season in the one with the reality show
Wasn't there an episode of Bones on this?
I’m overwhelmed by all of the reasons I have for respecting, honoring and expressing gratitude for this woman’s involvement for sharing and dissecting history. I am a sociologist, 74 year old American woman who has spent the last 35 years of my life in Europe. Throughout these years I have been confronted by social norms which have shaken, and sometimes destroyed, my “comfortable secure and certain knowledge” of how society works. Sociology, from my perspective and belief, is primarily an intensely personal interaction reflecting every sociologists insights. From my perspective, I am convinced that a lively merger of various sociologist conversations must inevitably benefit all of us. As I have recently encountered on UA-cam “just saying”.
You asked about archaeological evidence... at Jamestown they really do have bones with teeth marks in them as evidence of cannibalism in that colony, so that's a fun thing.
I have an archaeological report somewhere in my stacks of Donner Party books for an excavation at one of the cabin sites I might have to pull it out, a little light reading before bed tonight.
Laughing Coyote share your findings!
Suggestion: leave the night light on. @@laughingcoyote8789
The problem with the Donner camp evidence is that as mentioned, there was a point at which another party 'cleaned up' most of the evidence by incinerating it in one of the cabins. There was plenty prior to that which adds to the written accounts of the time, it's just been lost by actions taken shortly after the tragedy so while written descriptions of the butchered bones remain, the actual bones are not able to be displayed or studied. What is left is mostly cremated and under that monument.
@@laughingcoyote8789 Yes, there is a particular pattern of cut marks on the bones, including the skulls, on several of the recovered Jamestown skeletons.
A Donner party themed restaurant? That's just in poor taste 😉🤣
Depends on the season.
👀👀👀
Yes, the Donner Party Diner. On the menu: ear wigs, rack of Walter, and liverburst sandwiches.
I'm interested what a Donner Döner kebab looks like.
Don't knock it til you try it 😉
You forgot autocannibalism! It's like a depressing meal for one.
Hopefully ya don't engage in autofellatio XD
CSSLZT13 autofellatiocannibalism!🌭 nomnom!
auto-erotic cannibalism
Dear Caitlin, I loved this video! I grew up in Northern California about an hour from Donner Lake, and lived in the area for a total of 30 years. It was fun to watch you explore and learn about it. Also, Donner Lake Kitchen used to make the BEST huevos rancheros on the planet! I haven’t been there in years, but if it’s still the same chef, or someone who learned from him, then they are probably still amazing!
That is THE saddest looking snowman I have ever seen lol.
Olaf on drugs
@@AnnoyingAsianWitch There IS a lot of white powder around... 🤔
Olaf is about to be eaten by Frosty.
Reminds me of a little snowman I made when I was a kid, when we stopped near the Oregon California border in our RV. I made a little black top hat out of construction paper for it. It turned out really cute. Left it behind for someone to enjoy in the rest area.
This was in the early 70s.
Little ⛄Snow☃️ Deathling is our new mascot ❣
My archeology classes taught me that if one finds poop one can test for proteins that only are found if one has engaged in cannibalism
CH1M4R4 Uh-oh visitors to Einstein’s Island types. 🤫
Ah yes. Coprolites. Precious, precious coprolites.
That’s actually pretty cool
How come? Are they only found in humans? Not even apes? Are they produced when eating sth. very close to one's own makeup?
they shold have went to the 7-11 and got sun frozen burritos yaAAAA
Poor Louis and Salvador 😭 I was hoping they'd escape
According to another couple of comments, here. They did....but they still froze to death and the Donners simply found the bodies and butchered them.
But I agree; Poor Louis and Salvador.
@@SpukiTheLoveKitten75 When they found Louis and Salvador, both men were not quite ready to eat.
So they prepared them a bit (killed them) and then they ate them.
You'd think Indians were hip to the White Man's ways by that point.
@@lesliepropheter5040 And you know what... Truthfully... They probably had not even volunteered to help were even asked. Mighttta been forced.
OliviaOnAir Winsteard they were forced - I believe by Sutter - who sent supplies back into the Sierra Nevada to the trapped party along with Luis and Salvador.
I have been to Donner Pass and it is a quite an experience. You can feel the spirits of the ones who lived and died there. The day we were there a light mist was in the air and it was cloudy. It was in the spring/summer, but you could feel the hopeless of the people just the same.
I felt how haunted it is.
The people who are like "ew, I would NEVER resort to cannibalism" are probably the people who would resort to it first.
They would be those people beating others to death with the nearest heavy object. Or riling the group up to do crazy things in an effort to survive, then die anyway. It's kind of funny.
Why?
They would be the ones we ate.
I couldn't resort to cannibalism. I'd be the one who tells them look, just kill me quickly and tell people I was killed by an animal or something. I wouldn't mind dying to make sure my loved ones survived
Nah more like, time to commit seppuku man I’m out
Learned about all this when I was in the fire academy. They used the donner party to help train people in wilderness survival. So we had to find ways to find the food they didnt know existed with the same tools they had.
Wow
I spent the first 3 minutes of this video saying to myself “I *never* heard of cannibalism on Donner pass”. “They never figured out what the cause was!” Then I realized when you mentioned California that I was thinking Russian Dyatlov incident not California Donner.
Moral of the story-never go on an expedition in the high snowy mountains in winter with an expedition led by someone with the last name starting letter D.
Lucky Mama I didn't realise Dyatlov Pass was named after the expedition's leader, I thought it was just called that! xD
I was thinking the same thing 😂 and thanks for the info didn't know about the name thing either
I didn't know anything about the Donner party other than the rumors of cannibalism, because I didn't go to school in CA. But I read _Ordeal By Hunger_ and that's when I found out their situation was much worse than people talk about. For one, they were already starving when they stopped and made camp, having lost most of their animals and supplies (and water) crossing the desert. The book is just one long, detailed account of desperate day after desperate day. However, there was one family that survived and never resorted to cannibalism.
Would you do a video on Julia Buccola Petta ""The Italian Bride" Julia died in childbirth at the age of 29. After her burial, her mother experienced dreams of Julia telling her that she was still alive. After six years, Julia's body was exhumed. The body was found to have not decayed at all." She is buried in Mount Carmel Catholic Cemetery in Chicago.
“According to legend, soon after Petta's death, her mother Filomena began experiencing dreams in which Petta was telling her that she was still alive. No contemporary source has been found to back up the legend”
“Observations of non-decayed bodies that have been deceased for years, even decades, is not uncommon. The exhumations of Abraham Lincoln, Solanus Casey and Eva Perón are a few of many famous examples of this.”
Matrim42 that’s still cool
I'd heard that also, in a talk about decaying/decomposition. There may be a more rational explanation. It would be quite interesting.
Matrim42 Lincoln didn’t decay because he was exhumed and restuffed like 6 times
I once read that a surviving member of the party was interviewed years afterwards and she said something like this, “Don’t take any shortcuts and hurry along every chance you get.” Our ancestors certainly paid a heavy price. Further, Caitlin please stay awesome!
I don't know about an interview with those exact words but I think it was a letter to another family member who was not on the journey
I'm surprised you referred to them as "the snowshoe party" and not the highly more foreboding name they gave themselves: "the forlorn hope"
Sidney how...optimistic.
I agree
Every time she referred to them I was thinking…”aka The Forlorn Hope”.
As a Canadian, I'd never heard of the Donner party until I was skimming through your videos a few days back. I assumed it was about a German political group, and picked more interesting death related content. Then I saw a Puppet History video advert for the Donners, and I realized it might not be boring or political. So I clicked.
When I watched that video I had **zero clue** what I was walking into 🤣
I watched this vid the same day as I watched the Puppet History vid. Wild wild stuff.
I had no idea there were different kinds of cannibalism btw, so thanks for more learning! (Genuine not sarcasm)
Oh my god I grew up right next to Donner Pass. When I was a kid we took field trips to Donner Pass and actually made us role play as members of the party. As a nine year old I thought it was awesome, but now that I'm older I wonder what creepy adult had that idea.
You kidding? I've had to teach nine year-olds and man... anything to get them interested. Annnnyyyythingggggg... Acting out cannibalism? if it keeps a classroom of kids occupied, do eet.
Grew up in Reno, NV, and YES. SO. MANY. TRAUMATIC. FIELD. TRIPS.
@Kale Ling You just described my childhood.
@@CastielWillow yesssss it was my Reno elementary school!
I grew up by columbine high school and one teacher made us play a game about it. The principal suspended him for a while. That was terrible.
I forget how young American history is, 1840 was not long ago at all.
American history goes back to the 1500’s its not that young. It’s not old by any stretch but it didn’t start in 1776 lol...
Hahahaha
That's getting close to 200 years.
Angus McFife not too long ago
@@LaDivinaLover 500 years is still super young compared to most European and Asian countries
You make death easier. My mom just died 😢, your humor and great explanation of death gave me some peace. My mom would have laughed at your humor , and loved you to. Thank you 😊, it helped me except my mommas death.
I'm so sorry for your loss. Caitlin does make the idea of dying less scary tho it still is
Same
I'm really sorry your mom just died. 😔 Caitlyn definitely makes dealing with death a lot easier and I know I'll count on her expertise and goofy sense of humor to truly help me! 😌
I'm so sorry for your loss I recently lost my uncle and a close family friend I will say a prayer for you
I'm sorry that your mom passed away. My mom passed away about a year and a half ago. I am the only one in the family that is handling it well. My family is stuck in their grief and not moving forward as mom would want them to. I was the only one in the family that told my mom if she did not want to fight to love that it was perfectly acceptable and that we loved her either way. My family guilted her into "fighting" to live so she died painfully and slow, she could have enjoyed her last few months but instead she was tortured with medical treatment with very low chance of living and an even lower chance of having a quality of life worth living. Losing a loved one is so tough and the emotions that we go through are even more difficult than the initial loss. There are days when for no reason a thought will pop up in your mind and make you sad, happy, laugh, or cry and sometimes you might do all of them in the same day. I hope that your heart heals and you memorialize your mom in a way that you can move forward, not past but forward.
Thank you for reintroducing historical events. The way you do it is a great way to teach history.
You should do a video about Chernobyl
Gage Ferland that would make an amazing video, I’d love to see her cover it!
Yes, please!
Ohh PLEASE PLEASE, you MUST....... My dear, you MUST!!!
+
Oh my yes!!!
me, brazilian, not really knowing much about the donner party: just woke up, it's a nice morning. look at this interesting year old video from caitlin, let's watch it.
caitlin: butchered bodies, skulls sawed open to get at the brains, human flesh...
me: 👁️👄👁️
Me, French, who had never even heard the phrase "Donner party" in my life before and clicked with no idea what this video was going to be about 😱
aquele momento q vc consumiu tanto conteúdo gringo que acaba sabendo mais sobre as curiosidades nacionalistas deles que eles 👀
@@LM-nu9te eles tem cultura conhecida em todos outros paises, é o que dar ser o país popular
Sweet summer child
Me, Mexican, I’d never heard about this before, and now I won’t be able to stop thinking about it when I order doner kebabs for lunch at a restaurant I sometimes visit…
The best content on UA-cam! Intelligent, coherent, funny, informative, fascinating... Love you!!!
I agree. This video was done from a unique perspective and was so good. By far the best Donnor Pass video I've watched.
Lindsey Funke beautifully said! I love watching her videos to relax. 😌
Spot on, Lindsey!
Very, very well said Lindsey Funke.👍
Exactly, I said the same thing when I first found her channel, and that’s why I stayed. She’s awesome.
I had a survival situation in the Caribbean ocean many years ago. Nature can be your executioner and your strength.
On a broken down boat....floating aimlessly. Kept alive by fishing and rationing water. Then , the storms come...then the hot Sun ...4 days...Thank you for this Donner Party story...
"They *BECAME* cannibalism."
They went all in 😁
"I AM the liquor"
-Jim Lahey
Hey man, if you've ever been in a Cascade blizzard, you might too.
6 feet of snow can drop in a single night.
I was like ohhh did they lol
I love your story telling style. That combined with your attention to historical details, and (most importantly) your respect for the dead, make your videos absolute treasures.
Gabrielle Russell couldn't agree more
Ditto. Informative, respectful, and wonderfully witty. I'd have you as my mortician any day
Get this comment to number one, because this is exactly what makes Caitlin so damn important when it comes to covering such _highly_ sensitive topics. Also, let's please praise her for her well-timed dark humor -- it's just enough to help us laugh at something that would otherwise feel overwhelming, but she _never_ goes overboard with it and uses the tragedy of the subject as the butt of the joke. This woman is _treasure_ and a goddamn *rockstar* ♥
I was laughing so hard at the zoom in on the mopey snowman in front of the memorial.
Oh my god me too 😂
Ty so much for all this information. I was always interested in this tragic story and to see the actual location is mind blowing. You are a wonderful storyteller; loving your sense of humor,
My little cousin had to read a book about the Donner's in like 5th grade. The book was called "Donner Dinner Party", I gasped at that title.
@Kale Ling you must love the word 'yikes' huh
I would've appreciated that dark humor in 5th grade tbh.
that is very disturbing. what school would make them read that to children.
yarixza mendoza I mean they tried to force young adults to read the bluest eye in my school. Yeah it was high school but they didn’t send out a letter about the book or let anyone opt out. Many students had actual legit traumas they didn’t need forced to read. Even in high school or past
@@Lokimamabear hold on, what's The Bluest Eye about?
There's suspected cannibalisation in the Oregon Trail... last time I played it, my family were starving until Lars died of snakebite. Then, mysteriously, we found food. O_o
... It...was the snake!
Tastes like chicken!
100% innocent! Dont you ruin The Oregon Trail for me!
@@booya2002 Eh, Lars was a git anyway.
Nobody likes Lars, the same way we don’t like his dog, oh no..
That snakebite added some kick to the flavor of his meats.
Snake venom contains digestive juices, so it just makes the snakebitten animal (or person) easier to eat
Snow blindness is no joke. Even with sunglasses it hurts.
Aaron Burr Atwood. Honestly, I’ve had symptoms of it after only a couple of hours. I walked into my house and panicked because I couldn’t see anything for several minutes. I only shoveled my driveway! The headache lasted for hours afterwards.
I just lost my mother two weeks ago. Watching your videos really helped me during that time. Thank you for making these videos 🙂
I'm sorry for your loss. 💛
Thinking of you
I'm very sorry for your loss. Best wishes for your family getting through this time.
Justin and Mary Ward sorry for your loss, I lost my mom 12 years ago and it’s a game changer. I too have found some measure of comfort in these videos, she answers questions that I was too afraid to ask and I somehow feel better understanding the facts than letting my imagination get the better of me. Thanks Caitlyn 💜
Thoughts are with you, so sorry for your loss ❤️🙏
Caitlin because of your advice when it comes to having control of funeral and what things I can and can’t do
I just want to thank you because of your channel I was able to make arranging my father’s funeral easier and I managed to inform my mother that my father’s corpse does not need to be embalmed
Thank you
Beckirawwr I’m very sorry for your loss.
Missy Maria thank you he passed six days ago and I never imagined how quickly everything has to be put into motioned but thanks to Caitlin I managed to be so informed of what I can and can’t do
@@Beckirawwr Hope you're doing better now!
@@ussinussinongawd516 I am before this channel I was clueless what to do what information was out there but thanks to Caitlin and the channel I went into arranging a funeral confidently and it helped the funeral director understand what I wanted for my dad ( although he gave me strict instructions in a letter) I already knew what my dad wanted
Caitlin, I'm curious.....
Did they sell jerky at the Donnor museum?
If so that would be in poor taste.
Thanks for the chuckle 😂😂
That is so funny.😊
Honestly, that would be so morbid that it'd be hilarious hahahhahahaha
Omg lololol
Bahahahahaaa!!!
Caitlyn,I absolutely love your videos.Not only are they fascinating,your sense of humor is awesome!!!
I lived in the city where Jeffrey Dahmer killed 17 people. They tore the building down and had to hire security because people wanted pieces of it. Someone offered money to buy his apartment contents. Thankfully it was destroyed. I think the fascination with cannibalism is still very real.
Wow. I can't even wrap my head around that! Why someone would want such a thing......
@@JennaLeigh People have fascinations with weird things. Dahmer is a part of history. That shit would also fetch a hefty price. It's not that hard to comprehend.
Most people don't know that Jeffrey also had a growing fondness for lady fingers.
@@persephone2706 I'm well aware of that. I was speaking for myself. No need to be catty.
@@JennaLeigh I guess I took it as you literally couldn't understand why someone would want such a thing lol.
6:55, interesting Donner Party Fact, The DP only lost their race with the weather by ONE DAY. Despite all the mistakes....they almost made it. Thanks for the video.
THEY WERE *SO* CLOSE 😓
your presentations are so informative, ascerbic and witty...truly a great pleasure to watch. donating now!
Caitlin Doughty in a Donner gift shop playing with overpriced animal puppets voicing a cannibalism discussion. I want to be her travel buddy! 😎😎
Your black humor never ceases to amuse me. I always find your videos informative, educational and highly amusing. Also, finding another historian with insatiable curiosity I highly respect !
*Her black humor strengthens me and gives me life*
I love Caitlyn's Vids! Informative yet with that entertaining twist...😜
I bet with a little Buffalo Ranch dipping sauce....
You are crazy! Barbecue is clearly the better choice.
Nah, a seeee-cret sauce would be better!
@@fabricadefritanga I stand corrected!
Noooo, mustard!
McDonald's makes a "Signature Sauce"...that could be good on human nuggets.
I've been to the Sierra dozens of times as ( we are only 2 hours away) and I have to admit this lake is absolutely beautiful.
The Lake itself is gorgeous.
Yeah it's absolutely beautiful up there. I live in Reno, NV nearby, and it's always a treat to go up to either Tahoe or Donner lake
Coming from someone who lives 45 minutes from Donner Lake - You've done such a good job in this video! My uncle who has lived in Truckee for 30 years goes out treasure hunting, he's found things from the Donner Party that's in the museum. PS, it's a ton busier in spring and summer. A lot of school field trips in the spring!
Our body fat is also stored more efficiently, hence cellulite
Donner Camp PICNIC Ground.
I howled at that.
There was a cafeteria in a Federal office named for the Donner Party. I believe it has since changed its name to something less provocative and truthful.
Colorado has its own, if less famous, cannibal: Alferd Packer. The University of Colorado named their cafeteria after him.
I think if I went to visit that area I'd be tempted to bring along my own food ... or at least go vegetarian during my stay. "Want a burger??" "Um ... no ... no thanks ..."
I took that same route when I moved from WI to Yuba City California (right next to Sutter.) We went through Donner's pass in late April. Our whole way was nice and sunny, but there it was a total blizzard. Scary to drive through
I recently wrote a VERY in depth paper about the Donner Party, and it was nice to see it treated with such respect. I don’t mind that you made jokes about it. With things like this, jokes need to be made to keep the full reality from overwhelming us. I also think that, whatever people say when they are will fed, in Donner Party conditions, most people would turn to cannibalism.
Adelaide Beeman-White would you mind sharing your paper with me? I’d love to read it
@@allisonmilbrath8668 - Sure! If you give me an email address or somewhere to send it, I'd be happy to share it with you!
@@AdelaideBeemanWhite cativergueiro@gmail.com
hey, is ok if you send it my way too please?
tiawoodhouse13@gmail.com
I would also be interested in perusing your paper.
I absolutely love your personality. You are one of my heroes. You have given me an acceptance of death, and I'm comfortable with death now. We're friends. Thanks
Let's not forget the real tragedy here. That snowman.
I thought "Oh geez...isn't that nice,... public park and all and some idiot make a snow pecker.....
Ain't that the snowman from frozen
That made me laugh so hard, dear God.
That was the most fitting snowman for that place hahahahaha
I have backpacked their route through the mountains and down into Salt Lake City. They had to cut trees to climb to that final pass and it took them two weeks to get through. Wagon wheel marks are still visible on rocks.
Please do a video on the Andes Mountain plane crash next!! Great video!! Im so happy i found your channel!!
Please forgive my Scandinavian ignorance, It sounds like the worst party ever. And believe me, i have been to a few really bad ones in my life
Most of us in the US would agree.
@@Joeybagofdonuts76 We Canucks too!
party can mean a group of people not necessarily a celebration
@@TheLurkerAtTheThreshold i understood the joke but since they said that there scandinavian i figured english probably isn't there first language i would make sure they weren't confused by the wording as they might not know the other meaning for party
@@piarateking8094 We speak English a lot more grammatically correct than most Americans, I've been corrected some southerners grammar far too often on Reddit. Northern Europeans are literally the last people you should assume need help with their English.
**suggests eating a person and draws the shortest straw**
Me
... "It was at that moment he realized... He done goofed." >)X^D
"Nah, guys, I was totally kidding."
I really like your shows. So much information about what happened. Thanks for the explanation.
I live nearby there and I am also a descendant of the Eddy family that was in the Donner party. The museum there is amazing and I got to add my name in their descendants book 😊thanks for sharing this survival story 🍽
How do you feel about your ancestors?
Reese Kewp ~ lol well from what I’ve gathered about my descendants is that they were of trying to get help and rescue for the others. So it’s unclear if any were in the eating or eaten by and it’s a hardship story of survival so desperate situations call for desperate measures BUT I don’t think I would of eaten any human meat lol I probably would have been eaten 😁💜
I don't think that's a good thing to flex about
edgy flaps ~ no shame here thanks
i dont know about killing someone for food...but if the person is already dead and im starving to death im sorry but im eating them.
Word
Yeah, I found that to be _infinitely_ more morally wrong.
All my friends know I would eat them if I needed to, I would also expect them to eat me if it was for survival.
The people with the Donner party only ate people who were already dead.. They also made sure to not eat any of their own relatives. It was a really rough time. They actually ate all the cowhide and bufflo hide tents and rugs and basically anything remotely edible before they became desperate enough to actually eat human flesh..
Shame