Eliza Donner - Grade: A PDF

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Haley English 1A The Forgotten Woman of the West The Donner Party embarked on a trip westward from Springfield, Illinois to California on April 16, 1846. They decided to take a supposedly shorter route, “Hastings Cutoff,” which all of their troubles were a direct result of (Weiser). The Donner Party consisted of 87 members, one of which was Eliza Donner. Eliza and her two sisters were the only Donner family members who were rescued. Both Eliza’s parents George and Tamsen Donner died in the mountains (Houghton 337). Before most individuals research the Donner Party, they assume that since the title has “Donner” in it, the surviving members had to have been mostly Donner members. Even though the ordeal is known as Donner, Eliza has become a forgotten name in the tragedy. She is an absolutely remarkable individual because no one could have gone through the the struggles that she went through, and still come out just as strong as her. She experienced a horrendous past, but still managed to remain positive while starting a family, writing a memoir, and contributing to society. By November 29, 1846, the Donner Party had reached the Sierra Nevada where the weather was horrendous and heavy snowfall near Truckee, California had trapped them (Houghton 68). On December 16, 1846, fifteen men and women set out on foot with indian guides who were called the “Forlorn Hope” group, in search for help for themselves and those trapped in the Sierra Nevada (McGlashan 216). They followed the North Fork of the American River where they first got a glimpse of hope when they saw the green of the Sacramento Valley many miles away from the top of a ridge (McGlashan 110). By January, five had perished from the group (McGlashan 236). As members of the Forlorn Hope group died, the group ate the flesh of their dead companions (McGlashan 81). Even though the Donner party is occasionally referenced with cannibalism, the only occurrence where a human was killed to be eaten was when William Foster killed the group’s Miwok Indian guides (Houghton 84).

Ayoub 2 The Forlorn Hope group was delayed due to bad weather conditions and a lack of supplies, but nevertheless successful in reaching for help. Rescuers arrived at the Donner Lake settlements located in Truckee and Alder Creek on February 22, but many had already perished. Four rescue missions were made, individuals dying between each mission (McGlashan 199). The first relief party brought 21 to safety, the second 17, third saved 4, and the fourth saved 1. Eliza Donner was rescued in the third relief party along with Simon Murphy and her two other sisters. Thirty-nine out of the eighty-seven people who took Hastings Cutoff had died which included everyone over the age of 49 (Houghton 337-338). Although Hiram O. Miller had been appointed Eliza Donner’s legal guardian, Eliza and her sister Georgia were taken in by Christian and Mary Bruner, an elderly swiss couple, who had been living for a few months near Sutter’s Fort where they then all moved to Sonoma in the fall of 1847. The girls referred to the Brunners as "Grandpa" and "Grandma," and learned to speak German, and helped with the dairy work and other chores (Houghton 165). Until 1854, Eliza and Georgia stayed with the Brunners and then went to live with their half-sister Elitha who was George Donner’s daughter from a previous marriage (Houghton 154). Elitha’s husband, Benjamin W. Wilder, became their guardian in place of Hiram Miller (Houghton 263). Eliza Donner knew she wanted to start a family. After attending St. Catherine’s Academy of public schools of Sacramento in Benicia, California (Houghton 263), she soon got married on October 10, 1861 to Sherman Otis Houghton, the widower of her cousin Mary (Houghton 324). He was a lawyer and an eminent citizen of San Jose who had served a term in Congress from 1871 to 1875 (Houghton 315). Eliza and Houghton met at a bank one afternoon with her sister Georgia where Mr. Houghton affirmed that he would call Eliza later that evening to get her house address (Houghton 313). Eliza sent letters to her cousin Mary, whom she had not seen since her rescue, and also passed letters on to Mr. Houghton. On June 21, 1860, Mary M. Houghton had passed away and Mr.

Ayoub 3 Houghton promised Eliza that he would keep in touch with her about his motherless daughter. Letters between the two became frequent until Mr. Houghton proposed to Eliza Donner. They exchanged vows in Benton, Sacramento where the reunion of the five Donners, Georgia, Elitha, Leanna, and Frances took place since parting at Sutter’s fort in June of 1847. Eliza called Houghton her hero when wrote in her book that her sisters witnessed “the plighting of vows between my hero and me” (Houghton 314). Mr. Houghton, Eliza, and their family lived in San Jose until 1886, where they then moved to Southern California, specifically, Los Angeles and had six children together. Eliza suffered from depression throughout her whole life and left a letter in her book exclaiming, “Who can wonder at my indignation and grief in little girlhood, when I was told of acts of brutality, inhumanity, and cannibalism, attributed to those starved parents, who in life had shared their last morsels of food with helpless companions?” (Houghton Preface 18). When Eliza’s mother, Tamsen Donner, sacrificed her life in order for her children to live prosperous lives, Eliza knew she had to make her mother proud, and therefore she was not going to waste her life mourning her mother’s death. By her starting a family, it showed that she was a remarkably strong and exceptional woman who did not let her past weigh her down like a few other survivors of the Donner Party. In February 1879, Eliza Donner received a letter that changed her life. The correspondent was Charles Fayette McGlashan of Truckee, California. McGlashan was a lawyer who also edited the Truckee Republican newspaper and had carelessly promised his readers insight on the history of the Donner Party. Part of his campaign for more information was to write the letter to Eliza (Houghton 9). She responded warily and even though she had a deep desire to have the truth told, she did “not wish to furnish information for a sentimental newspaper story” (Houghton 10). McGlashan had begun a lifelong friendship with Eliza after convincing her of sincerity. Once she was reassured, she was eager to set the record straight about the Donner Party. McGlashan and Eliza sent letters between San Jose and Truckee. McGlashan also corresponded with many other Donner Party survivors aside

Ayoub 4 from Eliza, but his relationship with her was unique and a deep harmonious relationship sprang up between them. He accepted all her suggestions and satisfied her requests as much as possible (Houghton 366). The first book, History of the Donner Party, A Tragedy of the Sierra c ame out in July 1879, and both Eliza and McGlashan referred to it in their letters as “our book” (Houghton 10). Eliza had actually written some of the text which satisfied her childhood committment to tell the truth about the Donner Party when she got older (Houghton). The emigrants in McGlashan’s book were portrayed as victims of misfortune who had overcome great hardships, instead of the immoral monsters as stated in other stories. The rumor that Tamsen Donner, Eliza’s mother, had been murdered was discredited and she was instead presented as a heroic and noble woman who had sacrificed her life for her George Donner. McGlashan did not stray from describing some acts of cannibalism, but was discreet and silent on incidents involving the Donner families (McGlashan 201). Even though Eliza was very pleased with the success of McGlashan and her book, she later decided to write her own book due to the high attraction and growing curiosity from the public. On November 11th, Mrs. Houghton received an unexpected visitor, Jean Baptiste Trudeau, surviving member of the Donner Party, came to her home for a visit, but time was short, so the two old acquaintances arranged to meet again. She was fascinated by his description of life at Alder Creek 38 years prior to their reunion. He attested to McGlashan’s history and corroborated its general truth, although, he denied that the Donner family had eaten human flesh. He also “confirmed her memory of an incident which her sisters had dismissed, and spoke feelingly of her parents, of his great regard for them, and of his regret for having abandoned them” (Houghton). Her interaction with Trudeau was what first motivated her to write a memoir. On December 7, 1884, Eliza regarded her re-encounter with John Baptiste as the missing link

Ayoub 5 needed to complete the chain of events in which she had “prayed for and sought for many, many, years” (Houghton 11). The news that shocked her was Baptiste’s denial of cannibalism at Alder Creek in which years earlier she had been afflicted by gruesome stories that her family had been involved in the eating of human flesh. McGlashan sidestepped the issue, but John Baptiste’s statement was the justification she needed to write her book (Houghton 11-12). According to Eliza’s sister Georgia, the three youngest Donner girls, including Eliza, had been given human flesh to eat, however, John Baptiste had lied that no human flesh was eaten (Houghton 12). There was little doubt that at least some of the daughters had eaten only the food remaining to them. John Baptiste revelations were so important to Eliza, that she copied her letters that she wrote to McGlashan regarding her conversations with John Baptiste (Houghton 350). In 1898, 12 years after moving to southern California, an old friend in Truckee urged her to record her early experiences in California, in which she greatly considered. Over the next 13 years she worked on the project, and finally, in 1911, the A.C. McClurg Company of Chicago published, The Expedition of the Donner Party and Its Tragic Fate ( Houghton). The Expedition of the Donner Party and Its Tragic Fate  differs from Eliza’s earlier collaboration with McGlashan in regards to it containing not just more information on the Donner Party, but also describing the early stages of the group’s journey to California in much greater detail (Houghton). McGlashan, as a Truckee resident has emphasized the events specifically in the Sierra Nevada in his book (McGlashan). However, Eliza’s book reveals much about the mentality of the time and although Mrs. Houghton was only 3 years old at the time of the incident, her status as a survivor may have enhanced her credibility, but she was not necessarily a witness since a lot of her information about the Donner Party can be traced to public sources, her old sisters recollections, and John Baptiste’s statement. Her anecdotes reflect her own memories, but how much she remembered, and how accurately, she remembered the information is open to question due to the fact that she

Ayoub 6 wrote definitevely when she most likely had reconstructed the memories. Nevertheless, the book partly satisfies the curiosity of many readers who have wondered what happened to the survivors after their rescue. She wrote about her life growing up as an orphan and the events that shaped who she is as an individual in society. Eliza writing a book is in a part a benevolent act since she was the only Donner Party survivor, aside from published diaries, to write about the experience in the Sierra Nevada, making her an exceptional individual. Being raised as an orphan, Eliza knew how important family and love was. She belonged to many organizations knowing how important it is to give back to the community. Some of the organizations in which she was actively involved in included the Red Cross, Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Native Daughters of the Golden West. She was also actively involved in her community church. The Daughters of the American Revolution consist of female members who are descendents of a person(s) involved in the independence of the United States (What We Do). Eliza dedicated some time out of her life to help preserve historical landmarks and encouraging patriotism which including placing monuments dedicated to memorialize individuals who had an impact on American history. She attended the unveiling of the pioneer monument in 1918 at Donner Lake (Houghton). She held a legacy in society by redeeming the reputations of her parents and her group members in the Donner Party especially in the perspective of chairman Dr. C. W. Chapman of the monument committee who was in charge of the pioneer monument. He wrote a letter to Eliza stating, "The  Donner Party has been selected by us as the most typical and as the most varied and comprehensive in its experiences of all the trains that made these wonderful journeys of thousands of miles, so unique in their daring, so brave, so worthy of the admiration of man" (Houghton 20). In the organization, the Native Daughters of the Golden West, Eliza left a positive impact that placed her in a spot on the Roll of Honor in the organization which lists names of individuals of whom have performed a service for the Native Daughters of the Golden West or for the state of

Ayoub 7 California. She is listed as the daughter of George Donner in the Donner party and as a literary writer (Roll of Honor). Eliza has been a remarkable individual by not straying from leaving a positive impact in her community and the United States. Evidently, Eliza P. Donner Houghton is indeed a remarkable individual who has played a crucial role in the disclosure of new information about the Donner Party that would have been buried within the graves of the survivors if not for her book. Her reluctance to give up when things get tough is the reason why she is such an exceptional individual. She may be forgotten, but she is a remarkable individual to have started a family, written a memoir, and contributed to society even with a horrendous past which did not stop her from persevering.

Works Cited

Ayoub 8 Houghton, Eliza P. Donner. The Expedition of The Donner Party and Its Tragic Fate . Chicago: A.C. McClurg & Co., 1911. Print. McGlashan, C. F. History of the Donner Party: A Tragedy of The Sierra . 11th ed. San Francisco: A. Carlisle & Co., 1902. Print. "Roll Of Honor." Native Daughters of the Golden West . NDGW, n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2015. "What We Do." Daughters of the American Revolution . NSDAR, 01 Apr. 2014. Web. 04 Dec. 2015. Weiser, Kathy. "The Tragic Story of the Donner Party." The Tragic Story of the Donner Party . Legends of America, Apr. 2015. Web. 04 Dec. 2015....