snow is not a problem on donner summit

©Donner Summit Historical Society April, 2015 issue 80 page 1

April, 2015 issue #80

Snow is Not a Problem on Donner Summit

The Snowsheds of Donner Summit - Pt III

It was decided…that the only means of protecting the road was by means of snow sheds and galleries, although the expense of building a shed nearly 40 miles in length was appalling and an unprecedented extra in railroad construction. In the summer of 1867 we built some experimental sheds. The snow shed building was commenced in earnest in 1868.

ArthurBrown,Supt.ofBridgesandBuildingsinanaffidavittothePacificRailwayCommission,1887

TheCPRRexperimentedwithsnowshedsin1867andby1868theywereseenasthebestmethodtokeeptherailroadopen.Thelargebuckerplowsandanarmyofsnowshovelershadnot been able to keep the railroad open in 1867. Arthur Brown, Superintendent of Bridges and Buildings,saidinanaffidavittothePacificRailwayCommissionin1887thatthey’dfounditimpossibletokeepitopenoverone-halfofthetime.UltimatelymostofthetrackoverDonnerSummitwascoveredinshowshedsprotectingthetrainsfromsnowfallandavalanchebutalsopreventingtravelersfromseeingthegrandsights.

It was a big decision to embark on building the snowsheds and it came at a huge cost: $10,000 per mile. 65 million board feet of lumber and 900 tons of bolts and spikes were used in the initialconstruction.Thecontinualrebuildingofthewoodenshedsduetofire(seenextmonth'sHeirloom)andcollapseraisedthosefiguresconsiderably.WecanimaginethatthesawmillsonDonnerSummitoperatednon-stop.

TheremusthavebeenmuchconsternationamongtheCPRR'sBigFour(Huntington,Stanford,Crocker,andHopkins).TheywereracingtobuildasmuchtrackaspossiblesotheycouldgetasmuchmoneyaspossiblefromtheFederalGovernment.TheywerealsoinaraceagainsttheUnionPacific(UPRR)whichwascomingfromtheeastandbuildinglikecrazyovertheeasierpartoftheroute.TheBigFourmusthavehatedreadingtheUPRR'sprogressreports,afraiditwouldgettoUtahandNevadafirst.ThenimaginetheBigFour'sreactionwhentheUPRRboastedthattheirlinewouldreachtheEasternsideofCaliforniabeforetheCPRRevensurmountedtheSierraandprintedamapshowingitwouldbeUPRRrailsuptotheborder

“The only feasible plan that presented itself to obviatethisdifficultlywas to protect the track by a structure that would withstand the accumulated weight of the falling and drifting snow.”

Samuel S. Montague, CPRRchiefengineer,1889,

writingretrospectively

©Donner Summit Historical Society April, 2015 issue 80

Story Locations in this Issue

editor:Bill [email protected]

Unlessotherwisenoted,thephotographsandotherhistoricalephemerainTheHeirloom'spagescomefromtheNormSaylercollectionattheDonnerSummitHistoricalSociety

In This Issue

CiscoGrovepg.8-9,18 Hart256CrestedPk.snowsheds snowshedstoppage5

Mt.Stanford,CastlePk.pg.19 DonnerMonumentonthecover,pg.11


Noshedswerebuilt in the season of 1866, and the road was, with the exception of a few days, kept opentoCiscowithplows, aided by a large force of men toshovelthroughthe deeper drifts. The plows were drivenwithsixand at times with asmanyastwelveoftheheaviestlocomotives,coupled together, and then they could in many places penetrate the compact drifts to the distance of only a few feet. The sudden stoppage of such a train when movingrapidlyunder full steam necessarily caused heavystrainsuponthe machinery and an unusual wear of the iron in track by the slipping of the wheels. The only feasible plan that presented itselftoobviatethisdifficultywasto protect the track by a structure that would withstand the accumulated weight of the falling and drifting snow.

testimonytothePacificRailwayCommission,1887, by Samuel S. Montague,ChiefEngineer

betweenCaliforniaandNevada.

FirsttheCPRRwashamperedbyhavingtoblast15tunnelsoutofSierragranite.IttooktwoyearstocompleteTunnel6,thelongestofthetunnels(seeHeirloomsMay-September,'12).Duringmuchofthattimetherailroadmadenofurtherprogress.EventuallytheCPRRhauledthreelocomotives,eightymilesoftrackandpartsforrailroadcarsovertheSummitsotheycouldbuildintoNevadawhilethetunnelswerebeingcompleted.Parenthetically,twoofthoselocomotiveswentovertheSummitinthesnow,butthat'sastoryforanotherHeirloom.

Then,justasthetunnelsweredoneandtrainscouldtravelovertheSummit,therailroadrealizedthe snow had to be dealt with. Sheds had to be built.

Theideaofhavingtobuildwhatwouldeventuallybefortymilesofsnowshedswasappallingandappallinglyexpensive.Itwasunprecedented.ArthurBrowndelineatedthedifficultiesinhisaffidavittothePacificRailwayCommission.Theyhadtogathermenfrom“allquartersandpayhighwages."2,500menwerededicatedtotheeffortaswellassixlocomotivesandtrains.Thisactivityincreasedtrafficontheincompleterailroadby30percent.BeforetheycouldevenstartbuildingtheshedsChineseworkershadtoshovelsixtoeightfeetofsnowtoclearthegroundforfoundations.Theterribleworkingconditions-shovelingsnow,theweather,etc.-madekeepingworkers,evenathighwages,difficult.Therewerenotenoughsawmillstosupplywoodsothecompany resorted to round timber which had to be cut in the adjacent forests and hauled to the worksites.Thatincreasedthecostsoverbringingindressedlumberontherailroad.

To go along with the sheds, masonry walls had to be built in places to keep the snow from hitting the sheds at right angles and scouring them off the tracks.

Eventuallytheinitialfortymilesofsnowshedscost$1,500,000.

ToputtheSierracrossinginperspective,accordingtotestimonybeforethePacificRailwayCommissionin1887,thedistancefromNewcastletoWadsworthwas157milesandtookthreeyearswith11,000to13,000men.FromWadsworthtoOgdenit’s555miles.Ittookonlytenmonthsand5,000men.TheCPRRdirectorsmusthavebeenpullingtheirhairoutgiventhedelaysingettingovertheSierra.

Snowshedsbroughtunexpectednew“industries”toDonnerSummit.Carpenterswereneededto build the sheds and hundreds of workers were needed to clear snow off the snowshed roofs topreventcollapse.Thousandswereneededinemergencies.Trackwalkerswereneededtocontinuallyinspectthesnowshedsforfireandcollapse.Firewatcherskeptaneyeonthetinderdrytimbers.Therewerealsospecialfiretrainswithsteamalwayskeptup,readyatamoment’snoticetoheadforthelatestfire.Thereweresomanyworkersthatsomelivedinboxcars,allfocusedonkeepingthetracksopenovertheSierra.Thatcontinueduntiltheconcreteshedswerebuilt

"Thesnow-sheds,"wearetold,"aresolidstructures,builtofsawedandroundtimber,completelyroofingintheroadformanymiles.Whentheroadwascompleted,therewere23milesofshedbuilt,atanannualcostof$10,000permile.Withtheadditionssincemadethelinereachesabout45miles,whichincludesthewholelengthofthedeepsnow-lineonthedividingridge.Whenweremember that along the summit the snow falls from 16 to 20 feet deep during a wet winter, we can understand the necessity and importance of these structures. By this means the track is as clearfromsnowinthewinterasinthevalleys.Themightyavalancheswhichsweepdownthemountainsidesinthespring,bearingeverythingbeforethem,passovertheslopingroofsofthesheds, and plunge into the chasms below, while beneath the rushing mass the cars glide smoothly along, the passengers hardly knowing but that they are in the midst of an enormous tunnel."

Nelson’sPictorialGuidebooksCentralPacificRailroadATripAcrosstheNorthAmericanContinentfromOgdentoSanFrancisco, 1871


in the last half of the twentieth century. Those sheds dramatically reduced the numberofworkersneededandbetterkeptthetrafficflowingdespite“PineappleExpresses”and“SierraCement,”asCalifornianscallheavilymoisture-ladenstormscomingdirectlyfromthewestoffthePacificandtheresultingheavysnow.

Theoriginalshedswerebuiltoffour-inchthickplanksandhadpeakedroofs.Itwas a logical idea but a bad design. The peaks caught the snow and sheds were pushed out of alignment by the uphill snow. A 1905 article in the Bulletin of The AmericanGeographicalSocietyreportedonthevariationsthatcamenext."Theshedswerenextanchoredbacktothesideofthehillwithheavyrodsattachedtotheframeworkoftheshed(seebelow),andsecuredtotherockorearthofthecut.It was then found that the snow melted from beneath the rods, and on the adjacent ground and roof of the shed, so that the entire mass for many feet in depth would hang upon the rods, bending them down, and pulling the sheds toward the bank, throwing them out of line in a direction opposite to that which occurred when therewerenorods.Afurtherdevelopmentwastheextensionoftheroof,wherepracticable,intotheadjacentbanks,formingashedwhichpreventedthewedgeof snow from piling in between the building and the bank." That design was successfulwithonefurthermodification.Thetopoftheshedswere"somewhatwider than the bottom, so that the melting wedge of snow falls away from the side of the shed instead of pressing against it, so that the weight upon the baseisincreased,topreventoverturning."Thatbroughttheroofsclosertothelocomotives'smokestackswhichincreasedthehazardoffireinsummers.Sodeflectorswereattachedtothestackssothesparkswerethrowntothesides.Thatwasn'ttheendofdesigningthough.Seethesidebarhere.

Theflatroofswhichresultedfromtheredesign,thenrequiredsnowshovelingcrews to keep the weight of the snow from collapsing the sheds.

Snowshedsdidnotjustcoverthetracks.AllalongtherouteovertheSummitstations faced the track and were built attached to the snowsheds as were workers’houses,businesses,andotherbuildings.EventheschoolonDonnerSummit was attached to the sheds and children walked through the sheds to schooleveryday.

Railroad Man Remembers

“The original snowsheds were of logs, with sloping log roof.” They had been builtsizedforthelocomotivesof1868andnooneconsideredthatequipmentmight get larger. A boxcar could carry ten tons“andtwoten-wheeledenginescouldpull eighteen freight cars and a caboose uptotheSummit.”Mr.Woosterdidnotgivecomparablefiguresforthemoderntrains of 1939 but did say that comparing the old to the new was like comparing the newmainlineequipmenttothe"'watchcharm'engineofthenarrow-gaugeroadatColfax."

“….the snowsheds, which held back the enlargementofequipmentineachdecade,wererebuiltfrequentlyinanattempttokeep pace with the times. The rebuilt sheds hadflatroofs,ofwhichthecoveringwas2x 10 inch planks, the entire structure being of sawed timber, and were about three timesthesizeoftheoriginalstructure.“pg 367

from"RailroadinginCaliforniaintheSeventies"inCaliforniaHistory December, 1939 which came from:RailroadinginCaliforniaintheSeventies:FromtheReminiscencesofClarenceM.Wooster

Snowshedanchors,steelrodsdrivenintothegranite,toholdthesnowshedsagainstthelateralmovementofsnowoutsideTunnel6'seastendbelowDonnerPk.


fromBretHarte’s"California,"April, 1866, in CaliforniaHistory Spring, 1992

Youhaveanideaofsnowthatistenandfifteenfeetindepthrepresentsaprettyseverewinterblockade.Why,ourPacificRailroadgoesthroughsnow thirty and forty feet deep. Thesmokeofthelocomotiveas you approach the summit of the Sierras, rises between snow banks sometimes one hundredfeetabovethetrack.Lookingbackonthefoot-hillsthe road seems to pass through a canal of white marble whose wallsvaryfromfifteentotwenty feet in height…Think of cabins entirely hidden, with their chimneys melting a small crater around their tops as they smoke on the roadside…You will say you havereadsomethinglikethisin Munchausen, but these are facts. Imagine what ought to bethefictionofsuchapeople.

FARE FREE FOR ALL - FAREMORE

THE GREAT SNOWSHEDSLAKEVIEW – CRYSTAL LAKE – SUMMIT.

300 men of all nationalities for work in the snowsheds;freefareandshipeveryafternoon;good wages

NEVADA – NEVADARENO – TRUCKEE- DIVISION

Summit,Tamarack,Cisco.Placer,etc.250carpentersandcarpenters’helpersforworkon the great snow sheds, $60 to $90 monthFREEFARE–SHIPDAILY

SanFranciscoCall October 1, 1907

SomeoftheearliestsnowshedsonDonnerSummit-notethechimneys.

interior of snow sheds from Crofutt'sNewOverlandTouristandPacificCoastGuide, 1884


FROM CHICAGO TO SAN FRANCISCO BY RAIL.

ACROSS THE SIERRA.

Nextmorning(Sunday)webegantoascend the sierra by a number of sharp curves.Thesteepestgradientis116feetinthemile,andsomecurveshavea radius of only 600 feet. There are 40 milesofcurveswitharadiusoflessthan 1000. In some places the train seemed to make a half circle. It was freezingsharplyonthesummit.Theysaythatpoliticalinterestshavetakenalineoveraneedlesslydifficultridge,and that a much better route could havebeenfoundtoSanFranciscoifSacramento had not insisted on being made the terminus of the line. The scenerytotheright,whereseverallakesshowthemselvesfarbelowthetrack,isverybeautiful;butitisspoiltbythesnow-shedswhichcovertheline for some 30 miles, and afford only glimpses of the country far beneath the traveler[sic].Theseshedsaremadeofsawedpinetimber,coveredwithplank,andamoreconvenientarrangementforalongbonfireIneversaw.Thispart of the line must burn some day, asthechimneyofeveryenginegoesfizzingthroughitlikeasquib,andthewoodwork is as dry as a bone.

Forsometimefromthesummitwepassed through mountains wholly coveredwithpineandcedar,andrancarefullyroundtheheadsofvalleysandspursoftherange.AsIhavesaid,steam was shut off, and men were put at all the breaks. It struck me that there was greater care shown by the officialsinthispartofourroute..Thebreaksman[sic]andconductorshadhithertosmokedandchewedwheneverthey could, which was almost always; but when I offered a cigar to a fresh Californianbreaksman[sic]here,hesaid, "Thank you, Sir, but it is against the rules to smoke while on duty."

Hawke'sBayHerald(NewZealand)January 28, 1870

Left,AlfredA.Hart#256.CrestedPk.istodayDonnerPk.

Left, Alfred A. Hart #246.


Need for Snowsheds

JohnGillis,engineerwhooversawtheconstructionoftheSummittunnelsinTunnelsofthePacificRailroad,1870said:

InNovemberandtheearlypartofDecember[1866]therewereseveralsnowstorms, just enough to stimulate without denying work. The rough rocky sidesofDonnerPeaksoonbecamesmoothslopesofsnowandicecoveringthetrail from tunnel 8 to 9: it remained impassable until spring…Snow storms, 44 innumber,variedinlengthfromasnowsqualltoatwoweekgale,andindepthfrom14inchtotenfeet…theheavieststormofthewinter,beganFebruary18[1867]…andsnowedsteadilyuntil…the22nd.,duringwhichtime6feetfell.

Ofcoursethesestormsmadetheroadimpassableevenforsleighs.theywereopenedbygangsofmen,keptforthatpurpose,withheavyoxsleds.Thesnowwhennewfallenisverylight,sothatamanwithoutsnowshoeswouldsinktohiswaistorshoulders.Intothistheoxenwouldflounderandwhentheylaydown,worn out, be roused by the summary process of twisting their tails. I saw three in oneteamso“fortunate”astohavetheirtwistedclearoff,nonelefttobebotheredwith.

Crofutt'sNewOverlandTouristandPacificCoastGuide, 1884

Snowsheds bolted to adjacent rock.Notetheworkerinside.


From the DSHS ArchivesLife at Cisco in the

1870'sBobCampbell'sstoreandhotelwasaremodelingofthelong,hewn-logfreightshedwhichwasbuiltwhenCiscowasthe terminus, in 1867, to accommodate theheavyfreightteamingwhichchangedfrom cars to wagon at that point and time. The store was a part of the lobby of the hotel. In one comer was a small bar, and in the center was a large round stove,withafootrestwhichencircleditandonwhichadozenmencouldanddidresttheirfeetsimultaneously.Withnomatter what force the winds howled, and to what depth the blustering snow piled, thesagesofCiscoweremostserenelycomfortableinBob'slobby,withtheirfeetuponthestove.PonderousquestionsoftheNationwerediscussedandsettledinheatedandinsobereloquence;andJacobswouldreadaloud"Custer'sMassacre.""Let'erblow,'nlet'ersnow."ThestorehadplentyofvictualsandnoonecouldbetterpreparethemthanMrs.Campbell.Whenthe snow was good and deep, Harry Hartley, the hermit of Meadow Lake, wouldsnowshoetoCiscoandspendafewdayswithus.Hewouldsawonanoldfiddleandcreateanoisewhichdidhavesomeeffectinsoothingthesavages.Otherthanthistherewasn'tevenajewsharpintown.Exceptfor the protection which the snowsheds afforded, we were completely snowed in. A tunnel dug through the snow connected the station with the store.Afterfreezingthiswaslikewalkingseveralhundredfeetthroughanice tunnel. Between storms and after the crust had formed on the snow, a tramp in the open was most delightful. The world was completely white, exceptwhereapineorajunipertreehelditsheadabovethesnow.Beforethefreezewasoverallwereexpertinridingtheskis.Insidetheshedsthepicture was a contrast: snow discolored by smoke,andblacksootyiciclesthesizeofaman, which now and then knocked a brakeman off the top of a boxcar. The recollection of my carefreelifeatCiscoisalastingjoy.

FromRailroadinginCaliforniaintheSeventiesClarenceM.Wooster

CaliforniaHistoricalSocietyQuarterlyvol18no 4 Dec 1939

"The recollection of my carefree life atCiscoisalastingjoy."

ClarenceWooster


From the DSHS Archives

BYSTATETELEGRAPH

TheWeatherontheMountains-ASnowSlideanditsEffects

Colfax,January21st–OnThursdayeveningJanuary18th,asnowslideoccurrednearthesummit,destroyingahouseoccupiedbytwoemployeesoftherailroad.J.P.Belknap,whowassleepingonatable,wasinstantlykilled;theothermanescapedseriousinjury,how,itisimpossibletotell.Thehousewasrentasunderandcoveredtenfeetdeepwithsnow.SeveralhourselapsedbeforeBelknap’sbodywasrecovered…..Ithasrainedhardandincessantlyhereforforty-eighthours,withaprospectofcontinuing.Itistheheavieststormwehavehadsincethewinterof1861-62….

DailyAltaCalifornia January 22, 1866

Left,CareletonWatkins#185,UpperCisco,1866

CiscoGrovehereandinArtClark'sThen&Nowlater in this issue was in a differentspotthantoday'sCiscoGrove.TodayCiscoisafewsummerhouses along Old 40 and a gas station on the south sideofI-80.

Fortwoyears,whiletheGreatSummitTunnelwasbeingfinishedin1867-68,Ciscowasavibrantcommunityofafew thousand people. It was "end of track" for the railroad. There trains were unloaded so goods could be transported on theDutchFlatWagonRd.andstagesleftforMeadowLake,Coburn'sStation(Truckeetoday),andVirginiaCity.

TheOldCiscosatupthehill from the gas station.


AllthewayinLaQuinta,CAJoanLizzasawthenewspaperarticlehere,abouttheannualDonnerPartyHikes(lastOctober4&5)inherlocalpaper.Shesaid,“itremindedmeofoneofmyfather’s,GeorgeClark,books he treasured.” So she pulled out the 1931 edition of The History oftheDonnerPartybyC.F.McGlashanandsentittotheDSHS.

HerfatherhadlovedtheDonnerareaanditshistoryandspentmanyofhiscollegedaysworkingatthelake.MsLizzaalsoenclosedahandwrittenhistoryoftheMurphyFamily(StephensMurphyTownsendPartyof1844,thefirstwagontraintoreachCaliforniawithwagons)thatwassenttohimbyoneofthedescendants.Thefirstpageofthehistoryisbelow.

IfyoufindthingsinyourclosetrelatedtoDonnerSummithistoryletusknow.Ifyoudon'twantthemwewillbehappytohelpyouout.Otherwisewe'dlovetomakecopies.

What's in Your Closet?


HistoryoftheDonnerPartyC.F.McGlashanOriginally published, 1879

Therehavebeenmanybooks,stories,andvideosabouttheDonnerParty(DesperatePassagewasreviewedinourMay,’14Heirloom). ThereportingstartedassoonaspeopleinCaliforniafoundoutaboutthetrappedemigrantsintheWinterof1846-47andhasgoneonintocurrenttimes.Thestoryisverywell-known,soatfirstthoughtitdidnot make much sense to read again about the tragedy in this book. On further thought though, the editorial department thought it might be interestingtoreadoneofthefirstbooksandseehowthetravailsoftheDonnerPartywerereportedinthe19thCentury.The19thCenturywasa time of "Yellow Journalism" and excess. The newspapers were trying to win customers and truth was not always the priority. That could not happen today of course. Our modern sensibilities would not allow it.McGlashanapproachedhissubjectasanhistorian.Whatwoulditshow?

C.F.McGlashanwasalocalluminaryinTruckee.Hewasanewspaperpublisher,businessman,historian,lawyer,andpublicservant.Hisbook, TheHistoryoftheDonnerParty,wasoneofthefirsttodetailtheinfamousepisode.McGlashanspentalotoftimeresearchingathoroughfact-basedstoryusingnewspaperarticles,diaries,interviews,andsurvivors’manuscripts.Itappearedinprint33yearsaftertheevents.

The book recounts experiences on the trail: cooking with buffalo chips “these chips burn well”, Indians attempting to steal things or trying tobuyMaryGraves,meetingotherwagontrains,injuries,etc.Italsorecounts all of the troubles that led up to and caused the big trouble: disagreements and arguments that kept them from working together,theweekspentlookingfortheReeds’lostcattle,Indianthefts,deathbyexhaustion,deathbydisappearance(murder?),deathbyaccident(gundischarge),theReed-SnyderdisputeatGravellyFordandReed’sbanishment,thegeneralslowgoinganddelays,andthefatefuldecisiontofollowLansfordHastings’advicetotaketheHastingsCut-0ff.Thatlastdecisiontook28daystogo21miles.Justdoingthemathofthatweseehowhardprogressmusthavebeen,andthatwasnowhereneartheworst.

OncethePartygottoDonnerLake(althoughtheDonnerswereactually7milesaway)theymademultipleattemptstocrossthe

Book Review The History of the Donner Party

Interesting contrast for the reader, knowing what was to happen:

“Wehadthismorningbuffalosteaksbroiled…nofearofIndians,ourcattlegrazequietlyaroundourencampmentunmolested…Icouldneverhavebelievedwecouldhavetraveledsofarwithsolittledifficulty.Theprairie….isbeautifulbeyonddescription…everythingwasnewandpleasing...welaidin150poundsofflourand75poundsofmeatforeachindividual,andIfearbreadwill be scarce.” pg 32 Yes, bread would be scarce.

TamsenDonnerinaletterfromtheSo.PlatteJune16,1846


Summit with and without wagons. Then they tried without the oxen but the snow was too deep. TheForlornHopePartywasanothertrytogettoCaliforniaandsendbackhelp.ItleftinMid-December with the members wearing snowshoes.

McGlashandescribestheimpetusforthegroupinhis19thCenturyprose:“Theemigrantswereno longer on short allowance, they were actually starving!Oh!thehorror!Thedreadalarmwhichprevailedamongthecompany!C.T.Stanton,everbrave,courageous,lion-hearted,said“Iwillbringhelp to these famishing people or lay down my life.”

TheForlornHopewasmiserycompounded.Theycrawled,staggered,andflounderedthroughthesnowmakinglittleprogressoncethey’dgottentothe Summit. They were out of food. They were starvingandcouldhardlymove.Theydrewlotstoseewhoshoulddietofeedtheothers.Dolanlostbuttheydidnotexecutehim.

Thingsgotworse.Thefiremeltedthroughthesnowpackandfellintoastream.Nomorefire.Therewasnoshelterfromthestormastheyslept.Peoplebegantodieandeventuallytherewascannibalism,“…theyremainedatthe‘CampofDeath.,’saidMcGlashanbutthenhedeflected,“Wouldyouknowmoreoftheshudderingdetails?Doesthetruthrequirethenarrationofthesickeningminutiaeoftheterribletransactionofthesedays?Humanbeingswerenevercalledupontoundergomoretryingordeals.”Thenaworsestormarrived.ToMcGlashantheForlornHopewereheroesfacingunimaginableterrors.Theirdecisionswerecompletelyunderstandable.Theyhadtosurvive,tokeepgoing,togettoCalifornia,andgethelpforthosestillattheLake.

Onecan’timagineone’sownreactionuntilconfrontedwithlikecircumstancesbutmaybeMcGlashangoesabittoofarwhentheForlornHopekillsthetwoIndianswhohadcomefromSutter’sForttohelptheemigrants.ThemembersoftheForlornHopewerestarving.Soonnonewouldsurvive.TherewerepeopleattheLakecountingonthemincludingtheirchildren.“Contemplatehisposition!…Hiscomrades,hiswife,wereinthelaststagesofstarvation…Wasitmurder?No!Everylawbook,everypreceptofthathigherlaw,self-preservation,everydictateorright,reasonorhumanity,demandedthedeed…Itwasnotsimplyjustifiable–itwasduty;itwasanecessity….ThefivewomenandEddyheardtworeportsofagun.”Pg104

“Is there a mind so narrow, so uncharitable, that it can censure these poor dying people from the acts of this terrible day?... can the most unfeeling heart condemn them?”

SomeoftheForlornHopereachedtheSacramentoValley.Theirarrivalengendered the rescue parties.

McGlashanshiftshisfocusfromtheHopetotherescuepartiesstartingoutandtotheconditionofthepeopleattheLake,interspersingquotesfrom diaries.

One cannot help but get drawn into the pathos. Back at the lake Bayliss Williams“starvedtodeath…Whatwordscanportraytheemotionsofthestarvingemigrants,whentheysawoneoftheirnumberactuallyperishofhungerbeforetheireyes!”pg89

Therescuepartieswereheroic.Peopleputthemselvesatrisktogointothemountainstosaveothers.Thentherewastheextraordinaryheroism

19th Century prose

pg 52"Thisbravelittlewomanwasonlytwelveyearsold,yet in this and all other acts of which there is a record shedisplayednerveandskillfulnesswhichwouldhavedonecredittoamaturewoman."

PattyReedministeringtoherfather’swoundsafterthe altercation with Snyder:

"Consciousthathehadonlyobeyedthesacredlawofself-defense,herefusedtoaccedetotheunjustpunishment.Thencamethewife’spleadings!LongandearnestlyMrs.Reedreasonedandbeggedandprayedwithherhusband.Allwasofnoavailuntilshe urged him to remember the want and destitution in which they and the entire company were already participants…hemight…seehischildrenstarvebefore his eyes, …. But if he would go forward….”

JamesReedwasbanishedbythegroup.HegottoCaliforniaaheadofthePartyandreturnedtohelprescuehisfamilyandthosewho’dbanishedhim.


ofJohnStarkwhorefusedtoleaveanyoftheStarvedCampandgotthemalltoCalifornia.

Throughoutthebook,tohelpreadersappreciatethepersonalities,McGlashanwritesshortbiographies.Thenattheendhedissectsthewholetale:wholived,whodied,whowasrescuedwhen,andwhathappenedtoallofthesurvivorsafterwards.

ParticularlyinterestingwasMcGlashan’sgivingLouisKesebergapodiumfromwhichtotellhissideofthestory.Keseburg,inthepopulartelling,isthevillain.Lurid contemporary accounts tell of him sitting on a log with blood running down hisbeardandabodypartinhishandsastherescuersarrive.Inlessluridaccountshewasaccusedofmurderandtheft(whichMcGlashanreports)andidleness.Eventodayheisthebuttofjokes,forexample,Kesebergopenedarestaurantafterwardsandservedfingerfoods(hedidinfactrunahotelandaroominghouseaswellasotherbusinesses).McGlashaninterviewedKesebergand,althoughwecannotknowthetruth,wegetaverydifferenttelling.Oneparticularlysadmomentwaswhen,uponbeingrescuedandhavingmadeittotheSummit,herestedinoneofthepreviouslyusedcampsites.Hesawapieceofcalicostickingoutofthesnowandhepulledonit.Itwashisdaughter’sclothing.Hehadnotknownshewasdead.KesebergmusthaveledalifeofmiserygivenallofhissetbacksfollowingtheDonnerPartyepisodes.

Afterreadinghisaccount,onecanagreewithKeseberg,“Ihavebeenbornunderanevilstar!”ThatwassomethingnewformeanditcamefromthefirstDonnerPartybook.

McGlashanalsoincludesareportofGeneralKearney’svisittotheDonnerLakesitein1847,writtenbyEdwinBryantwho’dcometoCaliforniajustaheadoftheDonnerParty.Withthatdescription,itisclearthatifanyblameappliedto

Keseberg,itshouldhavebeensharedbymanymore.EdwinBryantwroteWhatISawinCalifornia(1846), reviewedinourApril,'13Heirloom.

Then there is the report of McGlashan’sarcheologicalworkattheDonner Lake sites and his description of some of the 500 objects that were found(left).

The book is interesting. More modernbookshavehadtheadvantageofmuchmoreavailablematerial including the science of starvation,butMcGlashan’sbookisagoodintroductionandhisflowerydescriptions are an interesting counterpointtotoday’sprose.

The Hastings Cut-Off“Alas!Thereweretrialsinthewaycompared with which their recent struggleswereinsignificant.Butforthe fatal delay caused by the Hastings Cut-off,allwouldhavebeenwell,butnow the summer was passed, their teamsandthemselveswerewell-nighexhausted, and their slender stock of provisionsnearlyconsumed."Pg40

Trapped“totheDonnerParty[theascentoftheSierra]broughtterroranddismayThe company had hardly obtained a glimpse of the mountains, ere the winter storm clouds began to assembly their hosts around the loftier crests. Everydaytheweatherappearedmoreominous…”Everyday’sdelayhadcostadozenlives.“Itwastoolate!...theyfoundthemselvesencompassedinsixinchesofsnow”atProsserCreek.OntheSummitthesnowwasfeet deep.

Donner route over summit "All day long the men and animals flounderedthroughthesnow,andattempted to break and trample a road. Just before nightfall they reached the abrupt precipice where the present wagon-roadinterceptsthesnow-shedsoftheCentralPacific.Herethe poor mules and oxen had been utterlyunabletofindafootholdontheslippery,snow-coveredrocks.”pg61

What the resuers saw pg 124"Theinmateslivedsubterraneanlives.Steps cut in the icy snow led up from the doorways to the surface. Deep despair had settled upon all hearts. The dead were lying all around, some evenunburied,andnearlyallwithonlyacoveringofsnow.Soweakandpowerless had the emigrants become, that it was hardly possible for them to lift the dead bodies up the steps out to the cabins. All were reduced to mere skeletons.”


Ad in TheHistoryoftheDonnerParty.T.C.Wohlbruck,whofoundedthefirstversionofthemuseumatDonnerLakewasthepublisherofMcGlashan'sbook.SeeourHeirloomsforOctoberandNovember'12formoreonT.C.Wohlbruck.

Aslongaswe'rerunningtheadinthepreviouscolumnitseemedlikeagoodtimetoincludethesereceiptsfromT.C.Wohlbruck,dated1926.TheyreflectT.C.'spurchasingdrinksfortouristsathisEmigrantGapCanteenandServiceStationandtheDonnerMonumentCanteenandServiceStation.


This comes from 10,000 Miles by Land and SeabyRev.W.W.Rossin1876.Mr.Rosswrotethistravelogueabouttravelshetookin1874.InthisexcerpthehascometoDonnerLake.SeehowhedescribesLouisKeseburgoftheDonnerParty;thisonlythreeyearsbeforeMcGlashan’strueaccountinTheHistoryoftheDonnerParty.

Butthislovelylakewillbelongestremembered,itmaybe,notfromitspleasure ·parties and summer songs, but from the dreadful fate of the Donners, after whom it is named. A party of emigrants from Illinois undertook to cross the mountains late in the fall of 1846. Their guide, an old trapper familiar with the terrible snow storms, hurried them forward. The majoritypressedonandpassedsafelyover;butDonnerhimself,drivinga lot of cattle, and kept in company by a party of sixteen, made no haste. Anticipatingnodanger,hedisregardedallwarnings,andquietlyencampedon the shores of the lake. In the night the storm burst upon them with the fury of loosened demons. The hurricane howled and raged among the pines, whilst the snow fell fast and thick. At last the morning broke, but brought no abatementofthestorm.[M]ostofthecattleandhorseshadbrokenfromtheirfasteningsandfled…Donnerisunableorunwillingtomovetillthestormstops,andhisdevotedwiferefusestogoandleavehimbehind.AGermanresolvestoremainwiththem.Therest,placingthefourchildrenoftheDonners on horses, start for the other side of the mountains; after many days oftoilandperil,theysucceedinreachingthevalleyinsafety.

Thestormcontinuesforweekswithscarcelyanycessation.Fortheimprisonedtogetoutordelivererstogetinisimpossible.Nopowerbutaspringsuncaneveropenawayofescape.Intheearlyspring,assoonasthere is any hope of succeeding, a party starts to their assistance. After weeks of labor and suffering, they succeed in reaching the camp ; but what a sight meetstheirhorrifiedgaze!Beforethefiresitsasolitarymantearingthefleshfromaroastedarm:ItistheGerman,andheisravingmad.Atthesoundofstepshespringstohisfeet,confrontingthemwithaterrifiedlook,andclutching, like a beast of prey, the remains of his repast. They spring upon him, wrench away the food, and pinion down his arms. The remains of the Donnersarefoundandburied.TheGermanrecoveredhisreason,anddeclaredhisinnocency;butwhethertheDonnersdiedanatural death, or were murdered by the madman, may remain a mysteryuntil the "Judge of all the earth shall make known."

19th Century Popular Knowledge

FromtheGreat Trans-continental Railroad Guide 1870, page 161

Toshowjusthowhardourresearchdepartmentworks,itfolloweduponthestoryabove,wonderingwherethegoodreverend,above,gothisfacts.Hewastravelingacrossthecountrybytrain.in1874.Perhapshehadaguidebook?Hereisanexcerptfromatranscontinentalrailroadguide,dated1870.Peoplehadalotoffunentertainingthepublicapparently.Tosetthestageforthisexcerpt,itcomesfromthesectionthetravelerwouldbereadingasthetrainwentuptheSierrapastDonnerLake.HerethestoryofDonnerPartyisbeingrelated.TherescuepartyhascrossedtheSierraandisapproachingDonnerLake,

“Afteradesperateeffort,whichrequiredweeksoftoilandexposure,theparty,succeededinscalingthemountainsandreachingDonnerLake.TheycametothecampoftheDonners,and,pushingopentherudedoor,entered.Whatasightmetthefirstglancewhichpiercedthesemi-darknessofthecabin!There–beforethefire–sattheDutchman,holding,inavice-likegrasp,aroastedarmandhand,whichhewasgreedilyeating.Withawildandfrightenedlookhesprangtohisfeetandconfrontedthenew-comers,holdingontothearmasthoughhefearedtheywoulddeprivehimofhisrepast.Thedisgusting,horridsight


Bicycling Over Donner Summit

George Nellis Crosses Donner Summit By Bike, 1887Or Sometimes Research Anticipation is Crushed

WhilelookingforthefirsttripacrosstheSummit,acrosstheNo.AmericanContinentandaroundtheworldbyThomasStevensin1884forourlastmonth’sHeirloom, our research departmentcameacrossanumberoftranscontinentalbicyclistsinthe19thCentury.Bicyclingwasapopularsport.Itwasinexpensiveanditprovidedindependenceandfreedom.

YoucanimaginetheexcitementgeneratedwhenwecameacrossGeorgeNellis’tripof1887,whichincludedgoingoverDonnerSummit,andtodiscoverthathekeptajournal.That set off the search for the journal.

Uponfindingthelog,wescannedthroughit,daybyday,followingNellisacrossthecontinentanticipatingwithenthusiasmgettingtotheSierraandDonnerSummit.Whathadhethoughtoftheviews?HowwasthetripuptheDutchFlatRd.ordidhetaketherailroadroute?DidhegothroughthesnowshedsasStevenshad?WhatdidhethinkofDonner Lake from the top? Did he stay in Truckee for the night or the Summit Hotel?

Excitementgrewaswegotcloserbutweevadedthetemptationtoskipahead.Anticipationisdelightful.Wetradedoffreadingpassages,goingaroundtheresearchdepartment’sworkcircle.Wegotcloserandcloser.WecrossedUtah,theNevadaDesert,gottoRenoandthen….thereitwas,thesectiontitled,"RenototheSierraSummit."

Thelogwasempty.Thenexttitlewas"SummittoColfax."Thattextwasmissingtoo.Thosedayswereneverprintedbyanyone and were lost. All of the rest of the days, from the whole trip, were there but there was nothing from Donner Summit.

IfyouareinterestedyoucanreadaboutNellis'adventuresbygoingtohttp://www.thewheelmen.org/sections/americanjourneys/goldengate/nellis_1.asp.

GeorgeNellis

LastMonth'sBookReviewsectionreviewedAcross America by Bicycle,thestoryofThomasStevens'tripacrossDonnerSummit,theContinent,andaroundtheworldin1884.Hewasnottheonly19thCenturycyclisttocrosstheSierra.Bicyclingwasapopularsportinthe19thCentury.AfutureHeirloomwillevenincludethestoryofafatherandsevenyearoldsonwhocrossedtheSierratwice-butthat'soffinthefuture.HereareacoupleofshortpiecesaboutothercyclistswhocrossedDonnerSummit.

almostoverpoweredthesebrave,rudemen,usedtoscenesofbloodandstrife.Theremainsofthearmweretakenfromhimbymain force, and the cannibal secured for the time, while an examination disclosed a portion of the remains of the unfortunate ladyfromwhencethearmhadbeensevered,frozeninthesnow,butwasasinpossessionofperfecthealthwhenshemetherfate.“

ThewriterthenwentontosaytheDonnersweregivenaburialandtherescuepartyreturnedtotheCentralValley.KeseburgrelatedhisstorysayingthatMr.Donnerhaddiedofsicknessandthecattlehadescaped.Withlittlefoodandbeingexhausted,Mrs.Donnerdied.Theevidencetheauthorasserted,saidsomethingdifferent.Mrs.Donner’sbodywas“stoutandhealthy”andwasinasgoodshapeasKeseburg.Herremainsshowedshehadnotdiedofillness.Thatleftonlyoneanswer:“Suspicion,toohorrible for utterance….”

Others Did it Too


TheJuly4thcelebrationswerejustwrappingupwhenNelsonA.Bradtarrived"freshandhearty"fromathreemonthtravelacrossthecountry.His "faithful roadster" had long ago lost "its jaunty freshness...was still in serviceablecondition."

On June 24th he crossed the Sierra and "dropped down by Sacramento into the land of gold and climate and pursued his course without stop to the GoldenGate."

"Theventuresomewheelman'soutfitconsistedofafullridingsuit,oneextrasuit,shirts,collarsandtoiletnecessaries,pairofrevolvers,fishing-tackleandblankets-weighinginallabouttwentypounds.

Headline and story from the SanFranciscoCall July 1, 1891

TheronGraytraveledacrossthecontinentandDonner Summit in 1887. He was following HoraceGreeley’sadvicetogowest.“Itwastoofar to go on foot, the interstate commerce bill had soured him on railroads, and he concluded to come through in regular wheelman style”

"..when he crossed the summit and began to descendthemountainsthroughthemagnificentpineforestsintoCaliforniahebegantorealizethat he had entered that far away land so often spokenofinthepastas'God'scountry.'Hisdescription of the beautiful places to be passed incomingthroughPlacercounty,whiletheyarefamiliartoallCalifornians,wereinterestingfrom the fact that they were described by an Easternindividual.Thebalmymountainair,thestreamsofsparklingwater,themagnificentforests, radiating from the pine on the summit, throughspruce,fir,cedarandhemlocktotheoaksofthefoothillsandvalley,weretohimapanoramaofmagnificenceinnaturewhichnodescriptioninbookscouldeverhaveconveyedthe remotest idea of their grandeur. The fruit farms of the mountains, notably those in the vicinityofColfax,NewcastleandAuburn,weretohimarevelationofwhyitisthatCaliforniaiscalled the king fruit country of the world."

SacramentoDailyUnion October 1, 1887

GeorgeThayertooktheDonnerSummitrouteacrossthecontinentin1887buttooktrainoverthe Sierra. He had nothing to say about going overthesummitbecausehewasasleep,havinggotten on the train after midnight. He did not havemuchtosayaboutTahoeeitherafterbikingtoit.HewasamazedbyCapeHorn(ontherailroadrouteeastofColfax)whenheranout on the platform.

Our June HeirloomwillhaveanarticleaboutN.E.Wilson,whobicycledwithhiswifeand3year-oldoverDonnerSummitin1894.


Then & Now with Art Clark

Alfred A Hart 184 - Upper Cisco,

RattlesnakeandYubaMountains.Forseveralyears,Ciscowasthe"end of the line" for the railroad. Freightheadedupthemountainshad to be unloaded and reloaded on wagons, which then climbed theDutchFlatDonnerLakeWagonroad.Insummer1867,58 carloads of freight were transferredeveryday.Woodwasin great demand for railroad ties, fuel and buildings, and many of the trees were removed.Theyhavereturned, and now obscure much of theview.The mountain on the right isSignalPeak.RattlesnakeMountainisoutofviewtotheright.

Photolocation39°18.005'N120°32.745'W


Then & Now with Art Clark

Mount Stanford, from Western Summit (Muybridge 687)ThisphotobyEadweardMuybridgeistakenfromalongtherailroadeastofTunnel8.Theverydistinctiverockintheoriginalseemstohavebeenburiedwhentheyremovedthewoodensnowsheds.Therubbletherenowincludestimbers&boulders.MountStanfordisnowStewartPeak,andHighway40dominatesthescene.BarelyvisibleistheDutchFlatDonnerLakeWagonRoad.

Photolocation39°18.928'N120°18.980'W

snow is not a problem on donner summit

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