Who made the Hastings Cutoff?

Lansford Hastings
If I could blame one man for the deaths of 41 people in the Donner Party it would be Lansford Hastings, the creator, founder, director of the Hastings Cutoff disaster, circa 1846. Lansford was born in Ohio to wealthy parents who could trace their American origins back to the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

What was the problem with the Hastings Cutoff?

Unlike the California Trail, which had already been well worn by travelers, Hastings Cutoff lacked clear markings or wagon ruts to follow. Ahead of the Donners, Hastings’ party ran into serious trouble when they tried to traverse Weber Canyon. He left a note encouraging the Donners and Reeds to go a different way.

Where did the Hastings Cutoff start?

In July 1847, Mormon leader Brigham Young led a vanguard company of emigrants from Winter Quarters, in what is now Omaha, to the future site of Salt Lake City. The company chose to use the Hastings Cutoff passing through modern-day Emigration Canyon.

Who is to blame for Donner Party tragedy?

Lansford Warren Hastings
Who was to blame for the Donner Party tragedy? Many authors have placed the blame for the tragedy on Lansford Warren Hastings, an Ohio lawyer who promoted the ill-advised shortcut now known as the Hastings Cutoff.

Did anyone from the Donner party survive?

Of the 81 pioneers who began the Donner Party’s horrific winter in the Sierra Nevada, only 45 managed to walk out alive. The ordeal proved particularly costly for the group’s 15 solo travelers, all but two of whom died, but it also took a tragic toll on the families.

How long did taking the Hastings Cutoff cost the Donner group?

Soon there would be violence and death in the company. The Hastings Cutoff route had taken the Donner Party 68 days to complete, from when they left the Little Sandy River (Wyoming) and began heading south toward Fort Bridger.

Did anyone from the Donner Party survive?

How many of the Donner Party died?

Five of the emigrants died before reaching the mountain camps, 34 at the camps or on the mountains while attempting to cross, and one just after reaching the settlements. Two men who had joined the party at the lake also died. The total of deaths was thus 42, with 47 survivors.

How many were eaten in the Donner party?

Now a new book analyzing one of the most spectacular tragedies in American history reveals what the 81 pioneers ate before resorting to eating each other in a desperate attempt to survive. On the menu: family pets, bones, twigs, a concoction described as “glue,” strings and, eventually, human remains.

What was the purpose of the Hastings Cutoff?

The Hastings Cutoff was an alternative route for westward emigrants to travel to California, as proposed by Lansford Hastings in The Emigrant’s Guide to Oregon and California.

What did the Donner Party do after the Hastings Cutoff?

The Donner Party, following in the wake of this initial party in 1846, had an unsuccessful experience with the Hastings Cutoff. They had arrived about a week late to travel with Hastings’ party, and on his suggestion pioneered an alternate route to avoid Weber Canyon.

Why did Hastings take the shortcut to Hastings?

Hastings was certainly over enthusiastic about his cutoff and he made many claims that weren’t true. The Donner-Reed group were in so much of a hurry they were willing to gamble on the shortcut to save a few days of travel time.

Why did Lansford W Hastings come to California?

In 1846, Lansford W. Hastings sought to bring people to California. Most scholars agree that his motive was to establish his own empire in the model of Sam Houston. To lure pioneers, he wrote an Emigrant’s Guide to Oregon and California, a booklet that was based on more imagination that fact.

Who made the Hastings Cutoff? Lansford Hastings If I could blame one man for the deaths of 41 people in the Donner Party it would be Lansford Hastings, the creator, founder, director of the Hastings Cutoff disaster, circa 1846. Lansford was born in Ohio to wealthy parents who could trace their American origins back to…