Donner Family Archaeology Project

Text Box: Welcome to the Tahoe National Forest, Truckee Ranger District. Before you is a team of archaeologists who are studying the Alder Creek Camp of the Donner Party’s George and Jacob Donner Families.

Stranded and snowbound in this area for over four months during the winter of 1846-47, survivors of the well-known "Donner Party" endured starvation and were surrounded by the deaths of their companions and loved ones. This tragic story has since become one of the most widely known events in western history, with collective memory of the event fueled by a mosaic of folklore, conjecture, and historical facts. The archaeological remains of these emigrant-era encampments hold the keys to go beyond sensational myth by unlocking additional details of the events that took place during that ill-fated winter in the Sierras.

Archaeological research at this site began in 1990 with Dr. Don Hardesty and Dr. Susan Lindstrom’s research at the Alder Creek Camp in 1990. Dr. Julie Schablitsky of the University of Oregon-Museum of Anthropology and Dr. Kelly Dixon of the University of Montana returned to the area in August 2003 and unearthed numerous historic artifacts, such as ceramic tableware and a clothing buckle. Inspired by their finds from last August, Dixon and Schablitsky’s team expects to unearth remains that may help determine whether this meadow actually does represent George and Jacob Donners’ encampments here at Alder Creek. In Dr. Hardesty’s book Archaeology of the Donner Party, he noted that a hearth would solidify the site’s affiliation with the Donner Party (Hardesty 1997:110-111).

The artifacts unearthed by archaeologists were buried within a thin layer of gray-colored ash. Initially, it appeared to be a hearth, but turned out to merely be a hearth cleanout or hearth residue. In search of the source of this residue, the research team here is now trying to hone in on the precious location of a fire hearth somewhere in this meadow. If the team can find a hearth, along with artifacts that date to 1846-1847, the archaeologists will support the theory that the site is one of the Donner family encampments. Then they can discuss other pieces of information from the archaeological remains: what the camp looked like; the starvation diet; and human responses to desperate situations. This will provide a more holistic interpretation of a story that has, admittedly, been overshadowed by cannibalism.

This project has been made possible by grants from the Truckee Tahoe Community Foundation and the University of Montana’s Office of Research. Additionally, we are supported by the Tahoe National Forest and our professional colleagues (volunteers, equipment, vehicles): Jones and Stokes, Inc.; Institute for Canine Forensics; Far Western Anthropological Research Group; Past Forward, Inc.; URS Consultants; Bureau of Land Management; Summit Envirosolutions; WCRM, and MacTech.

Text Box: The photo here shows how an archaeologist’s 1/8 inch mesh screens screen can catch minuscule fragments of the remnants of teacups, dinner plates, buttons, bottles, jewelry, writing slates, and bones. Although tiny, these may be the only traces of the Donner Family encampments in this area.

Emigrant Trails Museum