The Mormons and the Donner Party

Campbell’s articles informs us that, although there was no direct connection between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Donner Party, it is interesting to note that one of the larger families in the party was LDS, and that other members of the Church were instrumental in obtaining relief for the stranded group, and participated in the first successful rescue attempt, and that members of the returning Mormon Battalion were the first to reach the scene of the disaster and were instructed by General Kearny to bury the remains. Then, too, it should be mentioned that the Donner Party pioneered the route that LDS Pioneers used to enter the valley of the Great Salt Lake.