The Long Road to Oregon: The Donner Party

The Disappearance of DeOrr Kunz Jr.

What happened to DeOrr Kunz Jr.? In July of 2015, a two-year-old boy vanished from Timber Creek Campground outside Leadore, Idaho and was never seen again. Search crews combed the Idaho wilderness for days. Helicopters circled overhead. Dogs searched the forest. Volunteers moved through creek beds, ravines, and abandoned mine shafts deep inside the mountains. But investigators found nothing. No footprints. No clothing. No evidence explaining how a child disappeared without leaving behind a single confirmed trace. And as investigators began interviewing the four adults who had been at the campground that afternoon, the story surrounding DeOrr’s disappearance only became more complicated. This week on Mysterious Pacific Northwest, we’re covering one of Idaho’s most haunting unsolved mysteries.  The Disappearance of DeOrr Kunz Jr.  is available now wherever you listen to podcasts. Sources:  https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/investigations/7-investigates/deorr-kunz-jr-disappearance-remains-unsolved-10-years/277-a07ca934-32fb-4f1d-b499-8b9235afb115 [https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/investigations/7-investigates/deorr-kunz-jr-disappearance-remains-unsolved-10-years/277-a07ca934-32fb-4f1d-b499-8b9235afb115] https://www.kivitv.com/news/ten-years-after-he-vanished-from-a-remote-campsite-the-question-remains-where-is-deorr-kunz-jr [https://www.kivitv.com/news/ten-years-after-he-vanished-from-a-remote-campsite-the-question-remains-where-is-deorr-kunz-jr] https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/investigations/little-man-lost/he-vanished-from-a-camping-trip-without-a-trace-what-happened-to-baby-deorr-kunz/289-524426881 [https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/investigations/little-man-lost/he-vanished-from-a-camping-trip-without-a-trace-what-happened-to-baby-deorr-kunz/289-524426881] https://localnews8.com/news/top-stories/2025/07/10/what-happend-to-deorr-kunz-ten-years-and-no-answers/ [https://localnews8.com/news/top-stories/2025/07/10/what-happend-to-deorr-kunz-ten-years-and-no-answers/] https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/deorr-kunz [https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/deorr-kunz] https://charleyproject.org/case/deorr-jay-kunz-jr [https://charleyproject.org/case/deorr-jay-kunz-jr] https://amp.idahostatesman.com/news/article232504452.html [https://amp.idahostatesman.com/news/article232504452.html] https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/deorr-kunzs-father-speaks-nearly-192913917.html [https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/deorr-kunzs-father-speaks-nearly-192913917.html] https://people.com/crime/people-magazine-investigates-deorr-kunz-vanished-woods/ [https://people.com/crime/people-magazine-investigates-deorr-kunz-vanished-woods/] https://www.eastidahonews.com/2016/01/former-kunz-p-i/ [https://www.eastidahonews.com/2016/01/former-kunz-p-i/] https://www.eastidahonews.com/2025/07/ten-years-after-he-vanished-from-a-remote-campsite-the-question-remains-where-is-deorr-kunz-jr/ [https://www.eastidahonews.com/2025/07/ten-years-after-he-vanished-from-a-remote-campsite-the-question-remains-where-is-deorr-kunz-jr/] https://www.eastidahonews.com/2015/08/kunz-family-investigator-everything-points-to-an-abduction/ [https://www.eastidahonews.com/2015/08/kunz-family-investigator-everything-points-to-an-abduction/] https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/deorr-kunz-jr-missing-five-years-later/277-f8f45c3f-ff20-4db8-aebf-30150f8b9d88 [https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/deorr-kunz-jr-missing-five-years-later/277-f8f45c3f-ff20-4db8-aebf-30150f8b9d88] https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/search-for-deorr-kunz-jr-continues-near-leadore/277-584652677 [https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/search-for-deorr-kunz-jr-continues-near-leadore/277-584652677] https://www.eastidahonews.com/2019/08/cadaver-dogs-hit-on-area-near-where-deorr-kunz-jr-went-missing-search-to-resume-monday/ [https://www.eastidahonews.com/2019/08/cadaver-dogs-hit-on-area-near-where-deorr-kunz-jr-went-missing-search-to-resume-monday/] https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/deorr-kunz-jr-case-still-open-active/article_71c4a6d8-53e9-11ee-a7d6-9fbb89a53db4.html [https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/deorr-kunz-jr-case-still-open-active/article_71c4a6d8-53e9-11ee-a7d6-9fbb89a53db4.html] https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/deorr-jay-kunz-jr [https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/deorr-jay-kunz-jr]

The Long Road to Oregon: Reflection

For the final episode of The Long Road to Oregon, we’re taking a step back. After following the trail through its stories, its people, and everything it carried with it, this episode is a reflection—on the series, the history, and what stayed with us after spending so much time on that road. It’s also a look back on two years of the show, how our storytelling has evolved, and what comes next. Thank you for being here with us through this series. Now streaming on all major podcast apps. #thelongroadtooregon #historypodcast #pnwhistory #oregontrail #pnwpodcast #twoyears #podcastcommunity Book list:  The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey — Rinker Buck https://www.amazon.com/dp/1476756474 [https://www.amazon.com/dp/1476756474] The Oregon Trail: An American Saga — David Dary https://www.amazon.com/dp/0806136485 [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0806136485] The Indifferent Stars Above — Daniel James Brown (Donner Party, essential) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0061348112 [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0061348112] Across the Great Divide — Laton McCartney https://www.amazon.com/dp/0743249563 [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0743249563] Westward Expansion: A History of the American Frontier — Ray Allen Billington https://www.amazon.com/dp/0826319812 [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0826319812] Frontier Regulars: The U.S. Army and the Indian — Robert M. Utley https://www.amazon.com/dp/0252068828 [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0252068828] Covered Wagon Women: Diaries and Letters (1840–1849) — Kenneth L. Holmes https://www.amazon.com/dp/0803272701 [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0803272701] Women’s Diaries of the Westward Journey — Lillian Schlissel https://www.amazon.com/dp/0805211769 [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0805211769] Surviving the Oregon Trail, 1852 — Mary Ann & Willis Boatman https://www.amazon.com/dp/0874222388 [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0874222388]

The Long Road to Oregon: Where the trail ends

For the final episode of The Long Road to Oregon, we step back from the trail itself and look at what was left behind. Not just the miles traveled—but the lives changed along the way. The families who made it, the ones who didn’t, and the places that grew from a journey that was never as simple as it’s often remembered. This episode reflects on the road west—what it required, what it cost, and what still remains. Now streaming on all major podcast apps. #thelongroadtooregon #oregontrail #pnwhistory #historypodcast #americanhistory #westwardexpansion #pnwpodcast Book list:  The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey — Rinker Buck https://www.amazon.com/dp/1476756474 [https://www.amazon.com/dp/1476756474] The Oregon Trail: An American Saga — David Dary https://www.amazon.com/dp/0806136485 [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0806136485] The Indifferent Stars Above — Daniel James Brown (Donner Party, essential) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0061348112 [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0061348112] Across the Great Divide — Laton McCartney https://www.amazon.com/dp/0743249563 [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0743249563] Westward Expansion: A History of the American Frontier — Ray Allen Billington https://www.amazon.com/dp/0826319812 [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0826319812] Frontier Regulars: The U.S. Army and the Indian — Robert M. Utley https://www.amazon.com/dp/0252068828 [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0252068828] Covered Wagon Women: Diaries and Letters (1840–1849) — Kenneth L. Holmes https://www.amazon.com/dp/0803272701 [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0803272701] Women’s Diaries of the Westward Journey — Lillian Schlissel https://www.amazon.com/dp/0805211769 [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0805211769] Surviving the Oregon Trail, 1852 — Mary Ann & Willis Boatman https://www.amazon.com/dp/0874222388 [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0874222388]

The Long Road to Oregon: The Denny party

The journey beyond the trail with the Denny Party—families who didn’t stop in Oregon, but continued north in search of something more. From a difficult landing at Alki Point to the first uncertain days of settlement across Elliott Bay, this episode explores what it meant to arrive… and realize the journey wasn’t over. This is the story of early Seattle—its beginnings, its challenges, and the people who chose to stay. Now streaming on all major podcast apps. #thelongroadtooregon #pnwhistory #seattlehistory #dennyparty #oregontrail #historypodcast #pacificnorthwest #americanhistorySources: https://www.historylink.org/file/426 [https://www.historylink.org/file/426] https://www.historylink.org/file/1009 [https://www.historylink.org/file/1009] https://www.historylink.org/file/212 [https://www.historylink.org/file/212] https://www.historylink.org/file/790 [https://www.historylink.org/file/790] https://www.seattle.gov/cityarchives/exhibits-and-education/digital-document-libraries/denny-party [https://www.seattle.gov/cityarchives/exhibits-and-education/digital-document-libraries/denny-party] https://www.seattle.gov/cityarchives/exhibits-and-education/seattle-history [https://www.seattle.gov/cityarchives/exhibits-and-education/seattle-history] https://www.nps.gov/articles/denny-party.htm [https://www.nps.gov/articles/denny-party.htm] https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/seattle-washington [https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/seattle-washington] https://www.britannica.com/place/Seattle-Washington [https://www.britannica.com/place/Seattle-Washington] https://www.duwamishtribe.org/history [https://www.duwamishtribe.org/history] https://suquamish.nsn.us/home/about-us/history/ [https://suquamish.nsn.us/home/about-us/history/] https://www.washingtonhistory.org/research/collections/ [https://www.washingtonhistory.org/research/collections/] https://www.historylink.org/file/2952 [https://www.historylink.org/file/2952] https://www.historylink.org/file/410 [https://www.historylink.org/file/410] https://www.historylink.org/file/401 [https://www.historylink.org/file/401] https://www.seattlepi.com/local/seattle-history/article/Seattle-history-Denny-Party-Alki-Point-1851-12521850.php [https://www.seattlepi.com/local/seattle-history/article/Seattle-history-Denny-Party-Alki-Point-1851-12521850.php] https://www.pacificnwmag.com/the-denny-party-and-the-founding-of-seattle/ [https://www.pacificnwmag.com/the-denny-party-and-the-founding-of-seattle/]

Bonus: The Long Road to Oregon- The version we played

For this episode of The Long Road to Oregon, we’re looking at a version of the trail many of us remember a little differently. Before the research, before the real stories—for a lot of us, it started with The Oregon Trail. Decisions, supplies, river crossings… and the message we all remember. This episode looks at what the game got right, what it left out, and how that version compares to the reality behind it. Now streaming on all major podcast apps. #thelongroadtooregon #oregontrail #historypodcast #pnwhistory #nostalgia #edutainment #pnwpodcast Sources:  https://www.computerhistory.org/tdih/oregon-trail/ [https://www.computerhistory.org/tdih/oregon-trail/] https://www.oregontrail.com/history/ [https://www.oregontrail.com/history/] https://www.mnhs.org/education/resources/the-oregon-trail-game [https://www.mnhs.org/education/resources/the-oregon-trail-game] https://www.pbs.org/video/oregon-trail-game-history/ [https://www.pbs.org/video/oregon-trail-game-history/] https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-oregon-trail-game-became-classroom-staple-180962833/ [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-oregon-trail-game-became-classroom-staple-180962833/] https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/14/15291674/oregon-trail-game-history-education-minnesota [https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/14/15291674/oregon-trail-game-history-education-minnesota] https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Oregon-Trail-computer-game [https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Oregon-Trail-computer-game] https://www.died-of-dysentery.com/stories/history-of-the-game.html [https://www.died-of-dysentery.com/stories/history-of-the-game.html] https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/03/science/03trail.html [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/03/science/03trail.html] https://www.gamehistory.org/oregon-trail/ [https://www.gamehistory.org/oregon-trail/] https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/71204/brief-history-oregon-trail-game [https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/71204/brief-history-oregon-trail-game] https://www.wired.com/2014/07/oregon-trail/ [https://www.wired.com/2014/07/oregon-trail/]