One hundred and seventy years ago, the ill-fated Donner-Reed Party made a mistake that would deplete the travelers’ resources and seal their snowy fate in the Sierra Nevada when they decided to take a shortcut across the Bonneville Salt Flats.
While the Donner Party trekked some 80 miles across the salt desert, the travelers’ wagons became mired in the mud that lies hidden beneath the salt crust, forcing them to abandon supplies to lighten the load. The salt drove their oxen mad with thirst — so...
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