I have great respect for the Donner Party and feel that they were heroes in helping the pioneer companies of the Mormon Pioneers in an unexpected way. The Donner company spent almost a month clearing the way to bring their wagons over the mountains into the Salt Lake valley. A year later when Brigham Young brought the first of the Mormon pioneers into the valley he was racing against time as they needed to be able to plant a crop in order to have food for those who would be living in the Salt Lake valley. It was late July when he arrived and it was because the Donner company had cleared the last major passage way that they were able to arrive in time to plant. Things had grown somewhat since the Donner's clearing but was much easier for Young's larger company to clear their way through.
So I would honor the Donner company along with Brigham Young as being special people to this great pioneer episode. And this PBS special does an outstanding job of telling the story of one the great pioneer tragedies.