Anyone know what is the history behind California's famous Donner pass?

Question: Anyone know what is the history behind California's famous Donner pass!?

Ive always wondered since I have herd it mentioned and always drive threw it every summer!. Its a pass you take past the small town of Truckee!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

Well, the best thing to do is look it up online, you would probably get a quicker response and more accurate at that!. I used to live just outside Truckee and I hate that pass in the winter, lol!!!!
Anyway, in short, from what I know it is a pass where the Donner party (a group of people headed by a man with the last name Donner) tried to go over during the winter!. Instead of camping down until it was safe to pass, that party went ahead and got stuck on the pass!. After some time they ran out of food and as people died (and lay frozen in the snow) the survivors began eating them!. Almost half died!.
I would read this http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/Donner_part!.!.!. It has the story on it in full!.
It is an interesting one!
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This is the railroad through the mountains that was built by Chinese labour in the 1860s in terrible conditions during which many of them died!.
Their contribution was never acknowledged and when the survivors settled in the town of Truckee they were subjected to racial violence and arson orchestrated by the owner of the local newspaper called MacGlashan!.
He set off a wave of hatred for the Chinese throughout the West and many other places copied him!.
The Chinese eventually had to leave Truckee as their houses were continually attacked by vigilantes!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

One of the most documented cases of cannibalism in US history!. Donner took a party over the mountains, they got snowed in, ran out of food, and well, hunger does things to a man!. Those that expired from exposure became brunch!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

it is a famous place for being where cannibalism took place in the US, in a very bad winter!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

you have a computer, google itWww@QuestionHome@Com