Grave of Donner Party Next-to-Last Survivor

Jamestown, California

The Donner Party of wannabe California emigrants became trapped by a blizzard in the Sierras in early 1847. Some of them lived by eating those who'd died. One of the survivors was Leanna Charity Donner, age 12, daughter of the party leader. She lived until she was 95, which meant that she had to endure a lot of questions from newspaper (and later radio) reporters, who inevitably asked if she'd eaten any of her fellow pioneers.

Leanna never answered that question -- but if she had dined on human meat, it obviously did her no physical harm.

A new plaque added to Leanna's grave in 2022 notes that even though she resided in the area for nearly 80 years, she never returned to the site of her rescue.