Original subtitles

[ baby crying ]

[ babies crying ]

Maybe...

Mac got through.

They might send help.

We can'’t wait any longer.

Eleanor...

Eleanor.

Leave her be, Will.

Sleep is a godsend

in this white hell.

I gotta get Eleanor, the children outta here.

Hastings.

Gotta kill Hastings.

He lured us up here.

Lied to us.

I'’ve gotta kill him.

Yeah.

That'’ll get me through.

♪ [ trumpet ]

Howdy, folks. I'’m the Old Ranger.

When this tourist guide

by Lansford W. Hastings

came out in 1845,

it stirred the spirit of many hopeful pioneers.

But when the famous Donner Party

followed Hastings'’ guidebook,

they dreamed of golden California

and the promise of a new life.

But instead, they found untold horror,

agony and death when they entered...

Huh?

[ moaning ]

Dr. Ames!

No, there'’s...

children in the pass...

Easy. Easy now.

Just lie back.

It'’s all right. You'’re at Johnson's ranch.

You'’re in California now.

Eleanor...

Eleanor, out there.

The rest of your snowshoe party are in the other room.

Seven of them.

Se-- More!

My family!

Well, Captain Tucker left with another rescue party yesterday.

[ mumbles ]

Doctor. This little boy, I can'’t break his fever.

Well, bundle him up with extra blankets.

Sweat it out of him, use vinegar packs on his forehead.

And, uh, Jenny?

I can'’t thank you enough for coming here and helping us.

Oh, I just wish I could do more.

These poor people. [ door opening ]

Will Eddy, miss. Where is he?

Oh, in the other room.

Will.

God bless you, Will. God bless you.

Mac.

First rescue party is back, Will.

You got through. You saved '’em.

Thank God.

When Stanton and I left the party for supplies,

we got ahead of the snow.

We'’ve been back here two weeks now

trying to raise a rescue party.

But they wouldn'’t listen to us, Will.

They wouldn'’t believe us.

Eleanor? The children?

Where are they?

No...

They said Pat Breen took care of '’em till the end.

And then he went too.

My wife Amanda, she'’s gonna be all right

thanks to you, Will.

But...

my daughter didn'’t make it.

Hastings.

He killed them.

Murdered them.

Tear his heart out of his body with my bare hands.

He'’s all right. He'’s just terribly weak.

They all are.

Take care of him, miss. He'’s a good man.

He ain'’t got much to live for now except...

hate.

Oh, that'’s a slow death.

You never even asked my name.

I'’m sorry. I--That'’s all right. I understand.

Anyway, it'’s Jenny. Jenny Thomas.

Some of us came up from Yerba Buena

when we first heard about your wagon party.

You'’re a hero, Will.

Hero?

Tried to save my wife and children

and I was too late.

Does that make me a hero?

While you were delirious, you um...

Talked a lot about Hastings.

He'’s a murderer.

Killed my wife and children

and all those other people in our party.

He wrote a book. It said...

"Come to Golden California.

"Easy roads, pleasant trip."

He marked a cut-off on his map.

Supposed to take days off the trip.

Then his detour delayed us 28 days

and lead us into the snow.

He lead us into a hell of ice.

He lied. He'’d never even been through that pass.

[ door opening ]

He lied just to sell his filthy book.

Glad to see you'’re getting better, Will.

I'’ll be back later.

How they treatin'’ you, boy?

I'’m alive.

Hey.

I'’ve got the offer of a partnership

in a hardware store in Yerba Buena.

and I might buy into it.

What about him, Mac?

Hastings.

Will...

I lost my daughter up there

and a lot of friends, close friends.

People who meant almost as much to me as my own.

But it'’s over now, Will.

And we'’re grateful to you that we'’re out of it.

That we'’re alive.

So is Hastings

while my wife and children are buried up under the snow.

Will, I thought a lot about Hastings

when I first got back.

I wanted to kill him just as much as you wanted.

Maybe more.

I was gonna kill him. For you, for all of us.

Then I...

I went back up to the pass with the rescue party

and I-- I saw the bodies.

My own daughter.

Will...

the Lord'’s got a way

of punishing people when he sees fit.

Hastings'’ll get his.

Their clothing gone.

Their belongings and loved ones wiped out.

Now they started to our great California

with one of these guidebooks.

But they found a mountain pass of white death.

Now it didn'’t happen to us, it happened to them.

The Donner Party.

We'’ve all come here from different parts of the country

and for the grace of God, it could'’ve been us.

I want you to remember that

when these ladies pass among you

with their contribution boxes.

All right, now dig down deep.

Let'’s help these people.

It'’s our duty to give a helping hand

to the Donner Party and help them start

a new life among us.

Be generous. Give with your heart and your pocketbooks.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hastings.

Well, that'’s some donation.

Thousand dollars'’ worth.

Mr. Hastings is very generous.

I recognized him from the booklet.

I warned him two days ago

it'’d be better if he left here.

Some of these people had friends and relatives

with the Donner Party.

Could be trouble.

Thanks for the ride.

[ dog barking ]

[ all chattering ]

Will!

Hello, Jenny.When'’d you get to town?

Just now.

Sheriff Thompson?

This is Will Eddy.

He'’s the man who saved the whole party.

Well, it'’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.

Not the whole party, Sheriff.

Just what was left.

Uh, I'’m looking for Big Mac McCutchen.

Oh, he has stores across the street and up the block.

I'’ll take you there.

Thanks.

Nice to have met you, Sheriff.Oh, Mr. Eddy.

I have nothing but respect for you.

What you did, crawling down that pass

through a blizzard and ice.

Your feet bleeding, your hands frostbitten.

Man would be proud to call you his friend.

I'’d like to be a friend, Mr. Eddy.

Don'’t start trouble with Hastings.

Did he pay you to tell me that?

Will--I know how you feel.

Do you?There'’s been a lot of talk

going around about you swearing to kill Hastings.

No, not from Jenny.

Some of the Donner Party live here now.

Word spreads fast.

Hastings donated $1,000 to the Donner fund.

He can'’t buy his way out of hell.

SHERIFF: Will.

Maybe I agree with you about Hastings

and that book of lies he wrote.

Maybe I think, like you and your people,

it'’s all his fault they got caught in the pass.

Whatever we think, Hastings didn'’t break any law.

At least what law there is in these parts.

Now, it'’s my job to enforce the law here.

What you'’re saying is that if I kill Hastings,

you gotta kill me?

My life is buried up in that pass.

What there is left of me,

cheap enough to pay for what I'’ve gotta do.

California'’s everything they said it would be, Will.

Golden country. Land of opportunity.

And the climate makes everything grow

fast and furious, including the kids.

[ chuckles ]

Aye.

It'’s everything we hoped it would be, Will.

Sun shines every day.

Nights are cool.

And the winters are mild, with no...

Snow?

Nice store you have here, Big Mac.

How'’s business?

Just fine.

And getting better all the time.

Matter of fact, we'’re thinking

of taking in another partner and opening another store

the other side of town.

Yerba Buena is gonna get a new name soon, Will.

"San Francisco."

Oh, it'’s gonna be a big town, Will.

Why, a man who can handle tools

the way that you do could fit right in here.

You know, me and my partner'’s no good at fixing things.

Why, we'’ve had a brand new shovel with a busted handle

hanging out back there for two weeks now.

Why, you know Will could fix that in a jiffy.

He'’s here, Mac.

He'’s right here in this town.

He'’s walking around free, warm, on a full stomach.

You just can'’t let go, can you?

No, but you have.

How can you forget those cold, white faces

of women and children screaming for food?

Freezing to death? Begging to die?

You got out first. You didn'’t see it all.

What some of them became. The horror of it.

Will...

I went back up there with a rescue party.

I saw what had happened,

and I wanna forget what I saw.

I have to forget if I wanna go on living.

[ sighs ]

I need a drink. Do you want one?

No.

He'’s right, you know.

Y-You have to learn to forget everything that happened.

It'’ll destroy you if you don'’t.

Eleanor always wanted a big pitcher like that.

I promised her I'’d get her one when we got to California.

Promised her so much.

Well...

I lost both my mother and father before I was 12.

Um...

I didn'’t think there was much to live for.

And I learned.

Um...

Jenny, I think I'’ll have that drink now.

Would you go get Mac?

Oh, of course.

Well, here we are.

Where'’d he go?

That wasn'’t there before.

Forty-five dollars.

Hit this again.

Your money'’s good as anybody else'’s, mister.

But don'’t you figure you'’ve about had your full?

When I figure that out, you'’ll be the first one to know.

Now, hit it again, eh?

I think you'’d better leave here, Mr. Hastings.

Am I breaking some law, Sheriff?

Mr. Hastings...

You don'’t break the law.

I don'’t need your sarcasm.

Now I warned you once before.

There are a lot of people around here

that have no love for you.

[ chuckles ]

Let'’s drink to that, eh?

Maybe you don'’t read the papers.

Oh, you mean the sob sheet?

You know, somebody ought to put

some music to this junk, then we'’ll all sing it.

Where are you staying?

That'’s my affair.

I asked you a question.

The Laurel Hotel.

Now you listen to me.

There'’s a man looking for you.

He wants to kill you.

Now if it wasn'’t for this badge,

I wouldn'’t care one way or the other.

But I'’m paid to uphold the law.

That means protecting you.

I'’m telling you to get back to your hotel and stay there.

I know all about him. Will Eddy.

Yeah, you heard then.

Mmm. Six weeks ago I heard.

"Hero."

Yeah, the "knight in boots and saddle."

Going to vindicate the desecrated dead.

Let'’s drink to Mr. Eddy,

and build a shrine to him.

You'’re not in your hotel in 15 minutes,

I'’m gonna lock you up for your own good.

I hope I don'’t have to do that, Mr. Hastings.

I run a clean jail.

Bartender.

Give me another.

[ glass shattering ]

How do you sleep nights, Hastings?

Knowing you sent all those people

to their graves with that book of yours?

I had a cousin in that Donner Party.

He never made it.

Now get out.

Ellie, take over.

I got something to do.

Will? Mac and I have been looking all over for you.

Where have you been?

That gun you took from Mac'’s store,

don'’t use it, Will, you'’ll regret it.

Please. Don'’t do it.

Will!

Forty people died up on that pass, Hastings.

My wife and children with them.

You put '’em there, Hastings.

You...

How does it feel to wait for death, Hastings?

I'’ve been waiting for you,

knowing that you'’d come.

At least you know the face of one of us before you die.

[ chuckles ]

I know all their faces.

The women. The children.

The faceless ones in the snow, I know all of them.

They'’re right here in this room.

Every night in this room.

Crying.

Mourning.

I hear them crying out and cursing me!

How could I know what was up in that pass?

How could I know about the snow and the blizzards?

How?

Got to understand, I-I didn'’t know.

I didn'’t know!

You admit it.

You sent those people to their death

just to sell that book of yours.

Go ahead and kill me.

Please.

Get it over with, I...

Then I won'’t hear them anymore.

I won'’t hear them.

[ sobbing ]

Will, you...

Wanna let him live

so he could die a little more every day.

It'’s over, Will.

You'’ve gotta learn to live again.

Without Eleanor?

Isn'’t that what she wanted?

A new life?

And isn'’t that why you came out here?

It'’s over now. Will...

Nothing ends.

It'’s just the beginning of something else.

Aye, you'’re in San Francisco.

It'’s a whole new world, Will.

Where do I begin?

Maybe I could take a look at that busted shovel of yours.

Will did find a new life in Sacramento Valley

and he later remarried.

Now, Lansford W. Hastings went into exile

and he finally died alone,

far away in a strange land.

And today, a stone monument stands

as new testimony on the lowly, windswept pass

where so many people perished.

They call it the Donner Pass.