[The following takes place following the Donner Party incident of 1946-1847.]
Edwin Bryant visited the site of the tragedy with General Kearney in the spring. He described what he saw at one of the camps, saying:
Near the principal cabins I saw two bodies entire, with the exception that the abdomens had been cut open and the entrails extracted. Their flesh had been either wasted by famine or evaporated by exposure to the dry atmosphere, and they presented the appearance of mummies. Strewn around the cabins were dislocated and broken skulls (in some instances sawed asunder with care, for the purpose of extracting brains), human skeletons, in short, in every variety of mutilation. A more revolting and appalling spectacle I never witnessed.
Source:
Stephens, John Richard. “Victims of History.” Weird History 101: Tales of Intrigue, Mayhem, and Outrageous Behavior. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2006. 162. Print.
Further Reading:
[Edwin Bryant]( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Bryant_(alcalde\))
This is just a super depressing story to read about, isn't it? I'm starting to dread reading it when I sea "Donner Party" at the top.