Babagounj
Strength through joy
Donner Pass (el. 7,085 ft (2,160 m)) is a high mountain pass in the northern Sierra Nevada, located above Donner Lake about nine miles (14 km) west of Truckee, California. It is a narrow pass with a very steep approach from the east, and a gradual approach from the west.
To reach California from the East, pioneer emigrants had to get their wagons over the Sierra. In 1844, the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party followed the Truckee River up into the mountains. At the head of what is now called Donner Lake, they found a low notch in the mountains and thus became the first overland emigrants to use the pass.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donner_Pass#cite_note-0
The pass received its name, however, from another group of California-bound emigrants. In early November 1846, the Donner Party found the route blocked by snow and was forced to spend the winter on the eastern side of the mountains. Of the 81 emigrants, only 45 survived to reach California;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donner_Pass#cite_note-1 some of them are alleged to have resorted to cannibalism to survive
To reach California from the East, pioneer emigrants had to get their wagons over the Sierra. In 1844, the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party followed the Truckee River up into the mountains. At the head of what is now called Donner Lake, they found a low notch in the mountains and thus became the first overland emigrants to use the pass.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donner_Pass#cite_note-0
The pass received its name, however, from another group of California-bound emigrants. In early November 1846, the Donner Party found the route blocked by snow and was forced to spend the winter on the eastern side of the mountains. Of the 81 emigrants, only 45 survived to reach California;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donner_Pass#cite_note-1 some of them are alleged to have resorted to cannibalism to survive
