At Great Price

The Story of Tamsen Donner

By: Mabel Chapman

Narrated by: Kaleigh Kirby

At Great Price is a moving historical novel from the perspective of Tamsen Donner (1802-1847), a writer, educator, advocate for women's rights, wife, and mother, in the final year of her life. It follows her journey with the Donner Party, a wagon train of pioneers departing St. Louis for California in 1846. The emigrants faced many challenges along the way and an early season snowstorm stranded them in the Sierra Nevada where they faced extreme hardships—even starvation—that tested the limits of the human spirit. Based upon meticulous historical research, the book provides insights into Tamsen's selfless choices and deep commitment to those around her—her family, fellow travelers, and her husband in particular—through which she discovers an unexpected love within herself amid the extreme conditions. While the Donner story was soon overshadowed by the California Gold Rush and growth of the Golden State, the Donner Party's tragedy provides a view on pioneer life themes of endurance, loss, sacrifice, inner strength, and one woman's extraordinary resolve. Ideal for fans of historical fiction who seek personalized views of the American West, this story amplifies Tamsen Donner's voice and reflects the resilience of those early pioneers.

***About the Author***

Mabel Chapman (1893-1994) was a writer and educator born in Colorado. A 1914 graduate of the University of Denver, she taught school in California, raised four children, and published short stories in national magazines. In her later years, inspired by her son-in-law—a descendant of the Harlan-Young Party, the last wagon train to cross the Sierra Nevada safely in 1846 before the Donner Party's difficulties—she wrote At Great Price. This second edition is published with permission by Mabel’s grandchildren.

©1992, 2025 Mabel Chapman (P)2026 Community Commerce Group