Trapped in the Sierra Nevadas during the bitter winter of 1846, nearly 90 members of the Donner and Reed families longed for California's "Promised Land." But an untried shortcut became a death warrant for half of them?victims of madness, death, and cannibalism. The program re-creates the Donner Party's journey from family journals, newspaper accounts, and interviews with historians and descendants.

Producer: Lisa Ades, Ric Burns
Executive Producer: Mark Samels
Production Company: Steeplechase Films
Production Year: 1992
Copyright Year: 1992
Director: Ric Burns
Narrator: David McCullough
Actors: J.D. Cannon, Timothy Hutton, Gene Jones, Amy Madigan
Writers: Ric Burns
Discs: 1