Donner party expedition
Eliza was the daughter of George Donner and Tamsen Eustis Dozier who was a widow by the time he got married in May 24, 1839. Tamsen was a renowned teacher and writer who had transformed her home to be a local literary centre. After the union of the two, Eliza was born on the eighth of March 1843. She grew up to be a healthy and a self reliant child who would assist her sister Georgia to learn how to walk (The Literature Network, n.d).
Before 1845, nothing much was known about the Rocky Mountains with fertile soils and equable climate. It was not until numerous copies of topographical reports and maps were distributed throughout the United States. This led to mass migration to the pacific coast including George Donner and his elder brother Jacob who selected their destination as California. The mother to Eliza also agreed to the plans of her husband and assisted in planning the logistics.
Emigrant wagons were constructed and oxen were well prepared for the occasion. Extra yokes were provided incase of any emergencies. Cows were also availed to ensure that there was sufficient supply of milk throughout the journey. A watch dog and five saddle horses were part of the requisites of the immigration journey. Seeds and implements that were to be used in the prospective farms were packed in wagons. As part of the outfit, Eliza and family packed necklaces, brass finger rings, earrings and pocket looking glasses. To cater for the exchange of Mexican land grants they also packed laces, satins and velvets (Lavender, 2000). The mother to Eliza was specifically interested in ensuring that there was sufficient clothing for the entire family. She also had specific interest in purchasing womens handiwork, water colors and some books and school supplies which were to be used in a young ladies seminary which she had the intention of forming.
To top up the journey the family also used a liberal sum of money which was to cater for incidental expenses. After all the preparations, it was now official that the departure date was to be April 15, 1846. Everybody was eager to leave. Three wagons had already been packed with all the provisions required. Earlier in the day, the journey made a start with two of our wagons in the lead. The atmosphere was wholly filled with sorrow because some families had to be left behind because they could not afford the high costs associated with the travel.
After sometime of traveling, it was now time to have our first camp fire where an inventory of outfit was taken for the sake of readers of the Springfield journal. More and more wood was added to the fire thus ensuring that it was a beacon of light. The next morning the family continued with the journey and by eleventh May they were at the land of independence Missouri. Then it was time for the party.
The party was characterized by dozens of men and women who had thronged the streets to replenish their supplies as well as to obtain information about the new town. Business people were making a kill on this because they were selling almost anything and everything that would earn them a penny. Strangers got acquainted with their host and they got to learn a thing or two about them.
After spending some quality time in Missouri, Elizas family resumed travel on May twelfth with plenty of singing and whistling. During the journey, we had to overtake similar wagons though they still had to seek more information about the route ahead which we obtained from some drivers. By May 19 1846 the family was already at the Colonel Russells camp o Soldiers Creek. At this point, it was convenient to take two divisions since the traveling group had already grown big with families of Mr. Reed and the Messra joining in. The animals were at this point allowed to take a rest women did the washing while the men went on to hunt and fish in order to fed for their families (Herte, 1997). At this point, the emigrants had even established relationships with Colonel Russell who used to locate camping around and guide them about crossing fordable streams.
The next morning everybody in the camp was aroused by a trumpet call. Breakfast had been cooked and served. Then came noon when the families were resting on the grass in a picnic style. All over a sudden, a gust of wind swept by and the sky turned greenish grey. Rumbling sounds could be felt from the distant hills, only to realize that a thunderstorm was actually with them. The company had to scamper for safety to the next camping ground before the rain would o any more harm. They did this with a lot success and they were able to spend their night without any alarm or losses.
The next day they covered fourteen miles over the beautiful prairie. By now, the company was ascending the bluff overlooking the Big Blue. The river was booming and the water levels were rising making it impossible to determine its depth. This made the company to spend the night at the slope of the prairie. However, by sunset they became impatient despite the fact that water levels had risen to twenty inches. They agreed that a raft should be used to carry everything across except the livestock which would be forced to swim across the river. Construction of the raft began and was complete by thirteenth May and was christened Blue Rover (Herte, 1899). They later crossed everything and the animals were force to swim across.
Later, a dispute arose between some emigrants from Oregon and California and they resolved that they had to separate and continue with their journey. They kept on with their journey only to experience intense and dusts in mid June though at this point the company could no longer fear the Indians because they even came to visit them.
However, the thought of having closed the prairie with minimal difficulties was short lived because the rest of their journey was dominated by adverse weather changes and extreme cases of times when they ran out of their supplies. What followed was that over ninety wagons could not cross Sierra Nevada and dozens of them had to perish due to starvation. At this time, the emigrants had actually resulted to cannibalism. Included in those who perished are the both parents of Eliza (Eliot, 14). Eliza was then left as an orphan who settled first at Fort Sutter, then with a family with a family in Sonoma before staying together with her half sister in Sacramento.
How Donner party expedition influenced Bret Hartes.
Bret Hartes was influenced to write about the outcasts of poker flat due to the numerous challenges that the emigrants had to experience before reaching the Pacific coast. In his article, he relates the pacific coast with the Sandy bar which lies over a steep mountain range. To reach the location, it involved traveling under severe conditions. In the Donna party expedition, Eliza cites how the families left behind were sorrowful and a feeling of loneliness had engulfed the area. Similarly, Bret cites that, once the escort to the Sand y bar disappeared hysterical fears rocked the air. He equates Colonel Russell of the Party to Mr. Oakhurst. This is evident where he cites that, Mr. Oakhurst knew that scarcely half the journey to Sandy bar was accomplished and the party were not equipped or provisioned for delay (Herte, 1997).
Bret also tries to relate the character of Colonel Russell where he actually states that, Mr. Oakhurst seldom troubled himself with sentiment, still less with property, but he had a vague idea that the situation was not fortunate, (Lavender, 2000). He also tries to relate the experience that the emigrants faced while crossing the prairie. According to Eliza Houghton, they crossed the prairie with minimal difficulties which definitely came as a surprise. This, he relates by citing that, as the shadows crept slowly up the mountain, a slight breeze rocked the tops of the pine trees, and moaned through their long and gloomy aisles. The ruined cabin, patched and covered with pine-boughs was set apart for the ladies, (Eliot, 4)
Still, Bret compares the time when the emigrants were experiencing extreme cases of snow with what Mr.Oakhaust were experiencing while going to the Sandy Barf on the mountains. In this, Bret cites that just before dawn, some snowflakes fell on him. In his article he cites that, What could be seen of the landscape appeared magically changed. He looked over the valley, and summed up the present and future in two worlds---Snowed in (The Literature Network, n.d).
At this point, we can conclude that Bret has found a way of explaining the numerous challenges that were experienced by Eliza and family. This he has perfected by explaining what they Mr.Oakhaust had to go through before reaching the Sandy Bar.
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