Donner Party
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The Donner Party, sometimes called the Donner–Reed Party, was a group of American pioneers who migrated to California in a wagon train from the Midwest. Delayed by a multitude of mishaps, they spent t
The 28th page of Patrick Breen's diary, recording his observations in late February 1847, including "Mrs Murphy said here yesterday that thought she would Commence on Milt & eat him. I dont that she has done so yet, it is distressing." [sic]
An encampment of tents and covered wagons on the Humboldt River in Nevada, 1859
James and Margret Reed
Emigration Canyon, route of the Hastings Cutoff
Donner Pass
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Donner Pass is a 7,056-foot-high mountain pass in the northern Sierra Nevada, above Donner Lake and Donner Memorial State Park about 9 miles west of Truckee, California. Like the Sierra Nevada itself,
Donner Party
…Party had to decide whether to forge ahead or rest their cattle. It was October 20 and they had heard at Sutter's Fort that the pass (now known as Donner Pass) would not be snowed in until the middle of November. William Pike was killed when a gun being loaded by William Foster was discharged negligently, an…
Panorama of the view to the east in July 2013
Summit Tunnel. Composite image: tracks removed in 1993 digitally restored
CPRR Engineers L. M. Clement and T. D. Judah
Panoramic view of Donner Summit from above CPRR Tunnel #6 with Donner Lake in the distance and Donner Peak to right