People who write guidebooks usually know what they’re talking about, but the author of The Emigrants’ Guide to Oregon and California, didn’t. Back in the days when people were heading West in covered wagons, Lansford Hastings had only traversed part of the trail to California he touted as a shortcut through the Wasatch Mountains and across the Salt Lake Desert. Since this sounded like a better way than the ones everyone else used, some people went for it, probably thinking they’d be famous for blazing a new trail. And they did become famous– as the ill-fated Donner Party.
https://spartacus-educational.com/WWhastingsL.htm
https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-should-know-about-the-donner-party
Time Travelling With Kids 