The Archaeology of the Donner Party offers a new interpretation of the history of the Donner Party, based on the careful analysis of recently discovered artifacts. By supplementing the documentary record with the fruits of their scientific interpretation of physical remains, Hardesty and his colleagues not only provide exciting new information about the Donner Party but suggest promising avenues for further research.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
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"... a significant book... The result is good history and good archaeology." -- Western Historical Quarterly
--This text refers to the
Paperback
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About the Author
Donald L. Hardesty is Mamie Kieberg Professor of Historic Preservation and Anthropology at the University of Nevada, Reno, and author or editor of six other books.
--This text refers to the
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stunning history!,
By "puppypokey" (Northcountry) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Archaeology of the Donner Party (Wilbur S. Shepperson Series in History and Humanities) (Hardcover)
Read this book after reading "Frozen in Time" (about the Franklin expedition lost in the arctic) and "Alive" (about a 1972 plane crash in the Andes), both terrible and true tales of people forced to fight death and starvation.This book is as stunning as the other two! The book is well researched. Dramatic. Brings to light details and hypothesis of how these people coped in the face of death. It is interesting seeing this team piece together the Donner party's activities. Fantastic read if your into human adventure & spirit!
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An extensively researched history of an ill-fated expedition to California in the winter of 1846-1847,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Archaeology Of The Donner Party (Shepperson Series in History Humanities) (Paperback)
Professor of Historic Preservation and Anthropology Donald Hardesty presents The Archaeology Of The Donner Party, an extensively researched history of an ill-fated expedition to California in the winter of 1846-1847. Trapped by snow in the uppermost reaches of the Sierra Nevada, half of the Donner Party perished from starvation; the remaining half had to cannibalize their dead to survive. The tragedy became fuel for legends, folklore, and stories about westward expansion; but what truly happened? The Archaeology Of The Donner Party turns to the science of archaeology to unravel long-standing mysteries. Contributions by Michael Brodhead, Donald Grayson, Susan Lindstrom, and George Miller aid the author in gathering as much raw data as possible, some of which is offered in the form of charts for the reader's perusal; the result is an astute cross-examination of the telltale footprints of history. A handful of black-and-white The Archaeology Of The Donner Party is welcome not only for its meticulous reconstruction of a devastating tragedy, but also as an example of how archaeology can aid in the study of relatively recent history as surely as the history of civilizations from thousands of years ago.
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First Sentence:
In the winter of 1846-1847 nearly half of a group of emigrants traveling overland on their way west to California perished after being trapped by snow in the high elevations of the Sierra Nevada (Figure 1). Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
cabin excavators, meadow locality, party mountain camps, second relief party, basalt flakes, glass bottle fragments, wagon hardware, party tragedy, cabin site, party baggage, tobacco pipe bowl, artifact clusters, ceramic tableware, overland emigrants, clay tobacco pipes, lake camp, table utensils, red cinders, party period, truckee river Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Alder Creek, George Donner, Sierra Nevada, Jacob Donner, James Reed, Patrick Breen, Body Cathedral Aqua Molded, California Trail, Tamsen Donner, United States, Whiteware Blue, Body Unknown Cobalt, Fort Bridger, Whiteware Unknown, Body Pictorial, Donner Lake, Lewis Keseberg, University of Nevada, William Eddy, Humboldt River, John Denton, Johnson's Ranch, Sutter's Fort, Virginia Reed Murphy, Charles Stanton New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
In the winter of 1846-1847 nearly half of a group of emigrants traveling overland on their way west to California perished after being trapped by snow in the high elevations of the Sierra Nevada (Figure 1). Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
cabin excavators, meadow locality, party mountain camps, second relief party, basalt flakes, glass bottle fragments, wagon hardware, party tragedy, cabin site, party baggage, tobacco pipe bowl, artifact clusters, ceramic tableware, overland emigrants, clay tobacco pipes, lake camp, table utensils, red cinders, party period, truckee river Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Alder Creek, George Donner, Sierra Nevada, Jacob Donner, James Reed, Patrick Breen, Body Cathedral Aqua Molded, California Trail, Tamsen Donner, United States, Whiteware Blue, Body Unknown Cobalt, Fort Bridger, Whiteware Unknown, Body Pictorial, Donner Lake, Lewis Keseberg, University of Nevada, William Eddy, Humboldt River, John Denton, Johnson's Ranch, Sutter's Fort, Virginia Reed Murphy, Charles Stanton New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 50
books:
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7
books
cite this book:
See all 7 books citing this book
- Ordeal by Hunger: The Story of the Donner Party by George R. Stewart on 15 pages
- Ordeal by Hunger: The Classic Story of the Donner Party by George Stewart on 15 pages
- History of the Donner Party by F. C. McGlashan on 13 pages
- History of the Donner Party by C. F. McGlashan on 13 pages
- The Expedition of the Donner Party by Eliza P. Donner Houghton on 7 pages
See all 50 books this book cites
- The Silver State, 3Rd Edition: Nevada'S Heritage Reinterpreted (Shepperson Series in History Humanities) by James W. Hulse on page 56, and Back Matter
- Linking to the Past: A Brief Introduction to Archaeology includes CD-ROM by Kenneth L. Feder on page 73, and Back Matter
- Donner Party Cookbook: A Guide to Survival on the Hastings Cut Off by Ph.D., Terry Del Bene in Back Matter
- The Perilous Journey of the Donner Party by Marian Calabro in Back Matter
- The Anthropology of Cannibalism by Laurence R. Goldman on page 99
See all 7 books citing this book
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