Donner Party Deaths: A Demographic Assessment

During the summer of 1846, the 87 members of the Donner Party travelled an untested route between Fort Bridger, Wyoming, and the Humboldt River, Nevada. As a result of delays caused by this choice, they became stranded by heavy snows on the east flank of the Sierra Nevada. By the time the last member of the party was rescued, 40 had died. Analysis of the pattern of deaths among the Donners shows that survivorship within the party was mediated almost entirely by three factors: age, sex, and the size of the kin group with which each member travelled. The differential fate of the members of the Donner Party lends strong support to the argument that females are better able than males to withstand conditions marked by famine and extreme cold.