Donner party and Mormon migration

Question 1

states Mormons migrated to in order

Answer 1

New York State
Ohio (1831) 
Missouri (1837)
Illinois (1838)
Utah (1847)

Question 2

Who led the Donner party

Answer 2

Jacob and George Donner

Question 3

what were the reasons for Mormon persecution (5)

Answer 3

• their success
• their so-called blasphemy
• their desire to free slaves and be friends with the plain Indians
• their police force, the Danites
• their practice of polygamy

Question 4

Who founded the Mormon religion?

Answer 4

Joseph smith

Question 5

When did the Donner party leave Missouri for California and with how many wagons and people?

Answer 5

• May 1846

- 60 wagons and 300 people

Question 6

what did the advance group of 150 people do?

Answer 6

picked out the best route, improved the trail and marked out water sources and grass for the animals .

Question 7

donner party vs Mormon migration

Answer 7

• Mormons had enough food to last them the year whereas the Donner party ran out
• Donner relied on a pamphlet vs Young carefully researched the route in advanced
• Donner party had many older and young peoples vs Young’s advance group of 150 was specially chosen with skills

Question 8

When and where was Joseph smith murdered?

Answer 8

1844 - Illinois

Question 9

what happened to the Donner party?

Answer 9

Donner party started the Oregon trail in May 1846
1) July - At Fort Bridger, a smaller group of about 80 people tried to use the Hastings cutoff (shortcut which would cut 550 off the established route) and only used a pamphlet to guide them, rather than the established route

2) 4 wagons broke, 300 cattle died and one man killed another
3) Migrants needed to complete their journey before winter or else they’ll get stuck by snow: mid-Ocotber- they arrived late in the Sierra Nevada and were trapped by heavy snow
4) A group, sent for help, took 32 days to reach Johnson’s Ranch
5) to survive, both groups ate their dead.
6) rescue parties found them in Jan 1847

Question 10

How many Mormons followed the Mormon trail between 1847-69

Answer 10

70,000

Question 11

How did Brigham Young plan the Mormon migration? (7)

Answer 11

• Before they left, Young organised a count of all the Mormons and the wagons they had available which enabled him to plan the logistics of the migration: what each person needed to survive
• Young consulted with trail guides and explorers to find out as much about the Salt Lake Valley as he could, in order to make the Mormons as prepared as possible to make a success of their new homes
• the migrants were divided into manageable groups, each with a leader, this meant that even if groups were separated on the journey, everyone would still know what do
• Young insisted on strict discipline, giving everyone a specific role which avoided arguments and splits that had caused the Donner party such problems.
• Each group had the right mix of skills to help them survive
• He also taught them how to form their wagons into a circle at night which meant they could keep their livestock safe from attack or getting loss
• regular resting places were planned along the route to ensure that people did not exhaust their livestock which had been a problem for the Donner party

Question 12

What was the difference between the Oregon Trail and the route the Donner party had taken?

Answer 12

Unlike the well-established Oregon Trail, where migrants could follow the ruts left by the wagon wheel of previous travellers, this route had not been marked out and was hard to follow

While the Oregon trail had been cleared for wagons, here the terrain was rugged and rocky, with steep slopes and deep canyons

there were also stretches of desert with no water or grass for the livestock whereas the Oregon trail had forts where migrants could take on new provisions and places where livestock could find pasture

Question 13

Why were the Mormons successful in Utah?

Answer 13

• their faith encouraged them to work very hard and prevented them giving up in the face of terrible hardship
• Brigham Young was in control and made good decisions
• the Mormon church-owned all land, water and timber which were allocated to families- town ran efficiently
• they dug irrigation ditches which meant farmland had enough water
• A Perpetual Emigration Fund provided the resources to help thousands of Mormons emigrate to Utah
• Young organised settlers so that each new town had the right mix of skills to survive and prosper

Question 14

Why did the Mormons migrate to Utah?

Answer 14

because it was outside US territory at the time and the Mormons hoped they could escape persecution there

Question 15

what is the deal with the Young and the advance party?

Answer 15

In 1847, Young led an advance party along the route taken by some of the Donner Party, but this was carefully researched in advanced

Furthermore, the advance group were specially chosen with the skills necessary