No Evidence For Donner Party Cannibalism, Anthropologists Say

Thursday, April 15, 2010 - 14:16 in Paleontology & Archaeology

the 84 members of the Donner Party, trapped by a Sierra Nevada snowstorm on their way to California, did not resort to cannibalism, according to a new analysis of bones found at their Alder Creek campsite. Instead of each other, anthropologists say the Donner Party probably ate cattle, deer, horse and dog and did their best to maintain a civilized lifestyle in an otherwise harsh setting. Details of the analysis will appear in the July issue of American Antiquity. The Donner Party has long been infamous for reportedly resorting to cannibalism after becoming trapped in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California for months during the winter of 1846-1847. read more

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