"The Donner Party has become a tragic icon of the American march west. From Independence, Missouri, to Sutter's Fort, California, the party endured almost unimaginable hardship and suffering. Author Frank Mullen Jr. gives us a day by day account of their struggle for survival as they journey across the trail west. The Reno Gazette-Journal and the Nevada Humanities Committee present Frank Mullen's account of the Donner Party, accompanied by hundreds of historical illustrations and Marilyn Newton's photographs of the trail today." --Book Jacket.