Donner Party cannibalism -- it's still true

A lot of headline writers had a field day in the middle of April, putting toppers on stories suggesting that members of the Donner Party might not have engaged in cannibalism: "Oops," they wrote, and "Sorry, folks."

The claim, based on a university news release, was obviously a historical shocker sure to get people's attention — and yet it was grossly misleading, if not flat wrong.

Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C., put out a release describing the work of Gwen Robbins, a professor of anthropology. She is part of a team that excavated one of the Donner Party sites a few years ago. Robbins analyzed bone fragments found at the site of the cooking hearth, and she is ready to release her findings.

The media took it from there, reporting the shocking news that the most famous case of cannibalism in American history could well be a myth. Even a blogger at the majestic New York Times was taken in, throwing up a fanciful post headlined "No Cannibalism Among the Donner Party?"

One critical thing to understand is that the Donner Party was stranded at multiple locations. Most members of the party were trapped at Donner Lake; others were huddled at a site called Alder Creek, about seven miles back on the trail. As the months-long drama played out, some who tried to escape became trapped again and perished along the way.

Robbins analyzed bone fragments found only at the Alder Creek location. Indeed, some of the Donner sites have never been located and thus cannot be excavated.