Donner Memorial State Park

In 1906, a wealthy man named Chester Gillette took his pregnant girlfriend Grace Brown out for a romantic boat ride on Big Moose Lake. Only Chester returned. Legend says that Grace still haunts the shores of Big Moose Lake, a spirit of protection... and vengeance. Learn more abou ...  Show more

In this special collection of Parcast episodes, we’re revisiting the lore and tackling the tallest of tales from an era that’s endlessly mythologized in American pop culture — the Wild West. From bloody feuds to gunslinging bandits, unsolved murders to centuries-old mysteries, sa ...  Show more

In November of 1846, an early snowstorm left the Donner Party’s 87 men, women and children trapped in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Freezing and running out of food, they decided to send out a team of men and women on a rescue mission. But soon, the rescuers would find themselv ...

In the winter of 1847, a series of rescue parties fought their way through record snowfall to try to reach the stranded Donner Party. But when they finally arrived at the snowbound camps, they were unprepared for the scenes of horror and cannibalism they would find.Listen to Agai ...  Show more

August 4, 1846. A few months into their journey from Illinois to California, a group of pioneers encounters trouble. They’ve just found a note from their guide. It essentially says, “That shortcut I told you to take through the Wasatch Mountains – don’t.” The setback disastrously ...  Show more

In the 1840s, thousands of Americans journeyed west to California to pursue better lives. One group of settlers became infamous: the Donner Party. After taking an unproven shortcut, their wagon train fell dangerously behind schedule. If they couldn’t cross the Sierra Nevada Mount ...  Show more