PIONEERS
H I S T O R Y
Help was summoned from Fort Sutter in
Sacramento. Within a week provisions
arrived, and in another
10 to 12 days, the first
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relief party reached
Donner Lake where
they discovered many had died from
starvation including children.
In February 1847, a second group
attempted the difficult trip over the summit.
They encountered a second relief party. A
third relief party found George Donner and
his family. Donner was dying; his wife
would not leave and stayed to die with
him. Their children were rescued. The
fourth and final relief party arrived at the
main encampment site on April 7 and
rescued the very last survivor.
When all was said and done, 42 members of the Donner Party perished, 47
survived. Sadly, some of the survivors were
reduced to cannibalism in an attempt to
hold on until help came. By the way, the
original wagon train followed the traditional route and arrived safely at the intended
destination in California.
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PHOTOS BY WAYDE CARROLL
OOKING AT DONNER LAKE today,
it is hard to imagine the suffering
that took place in the cruel winter
of 1846-47. This beautiful lake is now
enjoyed from sunrise to sunset by hikers,
swimmers, fishermen, water-skiers and
kayakers, as well as passersby who stop
along I-80 to look down on this scenic
spot. But Donner Lake has a darker side.
Before gold was discovered in California,
there were pioneers who set out across the
plains to make new lives for themselves in
the west. Among them was a group from
Illinois that would go down in history as the
Donner Party.
Organized by brothers George and Jacob
Donner, they set off from Springfield in
1846 and became part of a larger wagon
train. Had they chosen to remain with the
group instead of taking a “short-cut,” this
would be a very different story, for their
choice was a deadly mistake.
When they reached what is now Reno,
Nevada, the Donner Party was able to get
badly needed provisions. But their three to
four day rest proved to be a fatal decision.
Storms were already brewing in the Sierra
Nevada ahead. In fact, one had set in on
October 28 as they reached Prosser Creek
just east of Truckee.
Despite the snow, they pressed on, but
could not scale the summit and returned to
Donner Lake where they set up camp in a
ferocious storm. The party built crude cabins with the main encampment near the
lake. The Donner brothers chose to camp
about seven miles to the east.
Provisions in the main camp were soon
gone, and as they faced starvation, a party
was dispatched on December 16 to attempt
passage over the Sierra. Two returned,
fifteen continued including several women,
eight died along the way, but two men and
five women stumbled upon an Indian camp.
One man was then guided to a settlement
on the western slope, followed by the
other six. The journey took 32 days.
DONNER MEMORIAL
STATE PARK MUSEUM
Exhibit on Donner Party & video.
Nearby are two of the cabin sites.
Interpretive trail. Located off I-80
near Truckee, Donner Pass Road
(530) 582-7892
DONNER CAMP PICNIC AREA
Site of Donner Family Camp.
Interpretive trail.
Hwy. 89 North, 4 miles north
of Truckee
Interpretive sign
N E VA D A C O U N T Y G O L D . c o m
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