Hidden Reno Monument Commemorates the Donner Party in the Truckee Meadows

Emigrant Trail Marker (Photo courtesy of Ken Lund)

   When it comes to the Donner Party, much of the historical attention is typically focused on either the trail they blazed across the middle of the state or the site where they were trapped for months on the shores of what is now Donner Lake near Truckee.

   But tucked into a small park at the base of Rattlesnake Mountain, is a small commemorative monument and plaque that notes that the ill-fated Donner Party travelers spent five days camped near there in October 1846.

   Known as the Emigrant-Donner Camp, the site was not only used by the Donner Party but also countless subsequent wagon trains heading to California via the Truckee Meadows during the next few years.

   The plaque, known as Nevada Historical Marker 253, states that upon reaching the Truckee Meadows, these emigrant groups turned southwest, toward Rattlesnake Mountain, in order to avoid having to travel through the marshes and sloughs in the basin floor.

   According to the sign, the site at the base of Rattlesnake was a popular resting place for tired travelers because numerous small springs in the vicinity provided good water for the wagon parties and the adjacent hills and mountains provided a measure of protection from the wind and weather.

   It concludes by pointing out that it was at this site that one of the members of the Donner Party, William Pike, was accidentally shot, died and was buried somewhere in the area.

   According to several online sources, the monument apparently was originally located closer to Rattlesnake Mountain, on private property, but was relocated about a decade ago to the city park to avoid any problems with trespassing.

   Of course, the story of the Donner Party is one of the greatest tragedies in western history. In April 1846, a large group of wagons left Springfield, Illinois to travel across the country to California.

   During the course of the journey, some of the travelers decided to head north to Oregon but the bulk of the group chose to take what was called the Hastings Cutoff, a new route that supposedly was more direct.

   Unfortunately, the cutoff didn’t really exist and the party was forced to literally make its own trail through much of eastern Nevada, which slowed down their progress. By the time they reached the Truckee Meadows it was the advent of winter and within days of their arrival it began to snow in the Sierra Nevada range.

   By early November, the group had reached Donner Lake (previously known as Truckee Lake), where they became trapped by record heavy snowfall. As a result, the Donner Party was trapped, with virtually no food, for more than three months.

   The group was finally rescued in February and March 1847. Of the 87 members, only 47 survived the ordeal, with some members resorting to cannibalism during the time they were trapped.

   A good source of information about the Donner Party is Donner Memorial State Park in Truckee (https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=503), which has a small museum devoted to their story.

   The Emigrant-Donner Camp monument is located in the Donner Party Park, at the intersection of Rio Poco Road and Creekside Circle. For additional information, go to http://www.nv-landmarks.com/wa/shl253.htm.