Book about Donner Party route will be discussed during Aug. 15 Fireside Chat

The next fireside chat at the Mariposa Museum and History Center will feature author Eugene Hart.

The event will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15 at the museum, located at 5119 Jessie Street in Mariposa.

Hart is the author of Salt & Snow, which tells the story of promoter and expansionist Lansford W. Hastings.

Hastings was the author of The Emigrants’ Guide to Oregon and California. His role in opening of a new, demanding wagon route in 1846 started from Fort Bridger, Wyo., to the southern end of the Great Salt Lake in Utah.

It then went across the Salt Desert — the same route the belated and doomed Donner Party would take. Hastings and his cutoff have been criticized for decades as the main cause of the Donner Party’s snowbound catastrophe in the Sierra that would end in cannibalism.

But was he really to blame?

Hart’s book examines the myths surrounding Hastings and his personal ambitions. It questions long-held perceptions about him and the poor decisions made by the Donner Party and their de-facto leader James Reed.

The chat promises to be a “fascinating look at a tragic chapter in our history,” according to museum officials.

Salt & Snow will be available for purchased at the event. It is $25 and cash or checks only. The author will be at the museum throughout the day to sign the books.

The event is free and refreshments will be provided. It will be held in the Carriage House Meeting Room at the museum.

Visit mariposamuseum.com or call (209) 966-2924 for more information.