Chapter 11 Summary and Analysis

This chapter discusses the Donner Party legacy. Descendants of the Donner Party have struggled over the generations to shrug off the "cannibal" label. An important supporter in this effort was Charles Fayette McGlashan, who was the first to write a book-length history of the party. Thirty years later, McGlashan tracked down survivors and assembled the accounts. Unlike previous lurid accounts which distorted facts, McGlashan stuck to the facts and treated the cannibalism matter-of-factly, though he did tone down certain grisly details.

In 1996, descendants of the Donner Party gathered on the shores of Donner Lake to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the start of the Donner Party journey. It drew 450 people from all around the United States. The vast majority of Donner Party descendants dismiss any insults or mocking about cannibalism. They are instead proud of their ancestors' courage in the face...