Lansford W. Hastings part 1

Lansford W. Hastings was a famous "trailblazer" of the old west; his Emigrant's Guide to Oregon and California (1845) was widely read, and he personally led dozens of wagon trains safely to the "Promised Land." But his tendency to improvise as he went along and inflate his knowledge of geography may have led to his downfall and to disaster for others. The most famous event leading to the discrediting of Hastings involves the Donner-Reed party and their trek from Springfield, Illinois, to Sutter's Fort in California (current location of Sacramento).
By the time the Donner-Reed party decided to make the move from Illinois to California, hundreds of wagons had already successfully made the trip. There was little need to worry if they followed the beaten path. But George Donner (60) and James Reed (46) chose to listen to the renowned trailblazer Hastings, who had left with a party of his own a few weeks earlier.
According to some accounts, the party's trek went quite smoothly until July 17, when they met a man named Wales B. Bonney somewhere west of Ft. Laramie in Wyoming.
Mr. Bonney was carrying an open letter from Lansford Hastings, who was a few weeks ahead of the Donner-Reed party on the trail. In the letter, Hastings encouraged travelers to take a recently discovered route to the south of the Great Salt Lake. The route promised to be shorter, saving 350-400 miles. Hastings reported it was mostly smooth, hard and level, with no danger from Indians, and plenty of grass for the animals and wood for fires. There would of course be a "dry stretch" where fresh water would be scarce, but no worse than the usual route. It sounded promising.


George Donner and James Reed had a choice to make.