Did you know that emigrants of the famous Donner party spent some time right here in the Truckee Meadows? In October of 1846, the group camped in an area of south Reno now called Donner Party Park, near Rattlesnake Mountain. There was grass for their animals and they rested from the rigors of crossing the Nevada desert in preparation for traversing the Sierra Nevada mountains to California. We all know the rest of the story - they were trapped by heavy snow near present-day Donner Lake and spent a horrific winter grimly hanging on. The survivors were eventually rescued and made it to the Sacramento Valley.
Donner party historical marker in Reno, Nevada.
Photo © Stan White
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Donner party historical marker in Reno, Nevada.
Photo © Stan White
Nevada Historical Marker No. 253 commemorates their stay and is located on a pedestal toward the rear of Donner Party Park. It is one of 267 Nevada Historical Markers found throughout the state, including 42 in Washoe County. Of those, quite a few are right here in Reno. The one about the founding of Reno, historical marker #30, is on the west side of Virginia Street between the Washoe County Courthouse and Riverside Hotel.
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