The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride

On April 13, the fourth relief expedition, more a salvage operation than a rescue, departed from Johnson’s Ranch. When the fourth relief party arrived at the lake on April 17, they were shocked to find only Louis Keseberg alive amidst a heap of human remains. Keseberg claimed ignorance regarding cannibalism and stated that Tamzene Donner had accidentally fallen into a creek and died. Suspicious and disgusted, the men initially believed Keseberg had murdered Tamzene Donner for food and possibly her money. They nearly executed him, but he bargained for his life by offering to reveal the location of the hidden money. Returning to Johnson’s Ranch with salvaged goods from the camp, the saga of the Donner Party concluded with 87 survivors out of the 134 of the original group and 47 dead, mostly men.

In the aftermath, Edward Pyle Jr. proposed to Virginia Reed, who rejected him, so he then swiftly married Mary Ann. Mary Ann’s quick marriage relieved Sarah of one financial burden; however, the Graves family owed a debt to Sutter, so Sarah, possessing no assets other than two oxen given to Margaret Reed, began negotiations with James Reed, who had acquired a large piece of land in Santa Clara Valley, now San Jose.