The story of the Donner Party

In the winter of 1846, a group of pioneers known as the Donner party was stranded by heavy snows in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. They endured bitter hardships while trapped for months without food, unable to continue their westward journey to California. Many of them died in the struggle. But certain ones survived, including eight-year-old Patty Reed, a little girl filled with dignity and determination in the face of mortal danger.