Ordeal in Donner Pass

Originally Aired: November 2, 1953 Suspense #524, "Ordeal in Donner Pass," presents the harrowing true story of the infamous Donner Party, trapped in the Sierra Nevada mountains during the brutal winter of 1846-47. Patrick Breen, a God-fearing family man, serves as narrator and diarist, documenting the steadily worsening conditions as the wagon party faces a deadly choice. Despite Mr. Eddie's desperate pleas to attempt crossing the mountain pass before winter sets in, the exhausted settlers vote to stay and wait for spring. Mr. Donner, Mr. Graves, and the other families believe their children need rest and that the treacherous conditions make travel impossible. The decision proves catastrophic. As November turns to December, relentless snowfall buries the camp under five to six feet of snow. The families slaughter their remaining oxen and take shelter in crude cabins, completely cut off from one another. When an eight-day blizzard finally breaks, they discover their pack animals have disappeared beneath the snow. With supplies dwindling and death claiming its first victim, Bayless Williams, the settlers face starvation. Mrs. Reed pleads for food while Breen grimly rations what little oxmeat remains, knowing the worst ordeal still lies ahead.