The Donner Party - 1992 - 8/10

Everyone has their holiday favorites.
The Donner Party documentary is the American Dream, turned upside down into nightmare.
Back in 1846, a portion of the covered wagons rolling west to California, left the main body to take a “shortcut.”
Hastings Cutoff proved longer, far more difficult than predicted, and devoured precious time.
By the time their wagons reached the Sierra Mountain foothills, winter arrived.
The Donner group was trapped near Truckee, forced to winter there without food or supplies.
Snow began to fall … and fall … and fall. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months.
They ate the cattle, they ate the oxen, they ate the horses. They ate the leather leads and harnesses, they ate grass and bark off trees. They ate their pets.
Finally, they started on the last remaining form of meat. The other white meat.
When they were finally saved in the late spring, rescuers were horrified by what they found.
True story.