The Worst Party
Ever Attended
Do you think you have attended a bad party before? What I am about to tell you will likely top your excruciating experience. I was recently reminded of a story called the Donnor Party. Unfortunately, it was the worst party anyone ever attended. A more appropriate title would be the Donor Tragedy, a.k.a. “Starting with Bad Information, Failing to Heed Caution and Continuing to Make Bad Decision after Bad Decision.” Before I tell you the powerful lessons the Donor Party teaches us let, me first recount the story.
Donner and his friends wanted to get rich. Donor and his friends were also in a big hurry to get rich. They set out from Springfield, Illinois on their way to California in 1846. They had read that there was a shortcut that would shave 400 miles off their 2500 mile journey. Sounds pretty good, don’t you think? There was just one problem; they did not know that the route was untested. As a matter of fact, it was conjured up in the mind of a man who stood to profit from people following it. Assuming they were successful, people taking his route would end up where he had business interests in what is now modern day Sacramento, California.
As the journey progressed the group veered off the tested route and took the now infamous “Hastings Cutoff.” They did so in the face of numerous clear cautions. First, the larger group that they initially traveled with opted to take the longer traditional route. Second, a man traveling east, who had just taken the shortcut, told them that it was barely passable on foot and impossible with wagons. Third, the route’s inventor, Hastings, did not show up to lead them as promised. Still the Donnor Party pressed forward.
What resulted was horrific. Most of the group never made it to California. Many starved, froze, went insane and some resorting to sub-human behavior. Women lost their husbands and families lost children. Their sole possessions were confiscated by Indians. Those that did make it were scarred for life from the experience and were shunned by those who knew their story. There is no evidence that a single survivor ever enjoyed the success they hoped for in their new life in California.
It is not unusual for people to start out with great hope and expectation to end in difficulty. Some outcomes we cannot control. Sometimes even with our best effort things don’t work out. In most cases, however, if we use sound judgment and make the necessary adjustments along the way, we can reach our destination. What is unique about the Donnor Party is that common sense and planning were replaced with delusion and euphoria.
