tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-364212732012-01-13T10:40:10.862-07:00Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.comBlogger951100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-14853488751327719242012-01-02T08:14:00.002-07:002012-01-02T08:22:29.157-07:00

The New Year is a promising one for Donner Party buffs, with a new movie, books, and an anniversary or two, plus there's some exciting new research coming out. I'll be reviewing and blogging about these as I view, read, or write them up.Best wishes for a Happy New Year to all.

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-43387287969137338942011-11-26T23:58:00.000-07:002011-11-26T23:59:57.577-07:00

Ah, the joys of writing! No matter how hard you try, errors inevitably creep into your work. It's dishearteningly easy to make dumb mistakes, and even if you catch them, your edits don't always make it into the published book. My copy of An Archaeology of Desperation has become a correction copy, with penciled notes scattered here and there throughout my contributions to the book. So you

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-21052256240862954732011-10-29T09:24:00.007-06:002011-10-29T11:18:50.784-06:00

Last May I blogged about a new Donner Party movie in the works, a horror film to be called Donner Pass. Well, it's finished and is being shown today at the Eerie Horror Film Festival in Erie, Pa., according to an article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The directory, Elise Robertson, claims,“The script is so rich in character detail – each of our teens has a complex and surprising arc – all

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-16307178257226258502011-10-23T20:01:00.004-06:002011-10-24T09:17:35.516-06:00

On Thursday, October 20, Jeffrey Callison interviewed three of the authors of An Archaeology of Desperation on Capital Public Radio (KXJZ) in Sacramento. Book editors Drs. Kelly J. Dixon, co-director of the dig, and Shannon A. Novak, a bioarchaeologist who examined the bone fragments recovered, and I were on the air for about 20 minutes. You can listen to the show here.Naturally, there was much

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-82831217537127181422011-10-20T21:59:00.006-06:002011-10-20T22:36:23.935-06:00

Yesterday the University of Oklahoma Press officially released the new Donner Party book, An Archaeology of Desperation: Exploring the Donner Party’s Alder Creek Camp. Call me biased, but I think it's quite a contribution to the literature of the Donner Party, with lots of new and interesting perspectives on the entire episode, and I hope that readers will agree.Naturally, it's too soon for

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-31668063770783807472011-08-24T07:09:00.009-06:002011-08-24T09:42:02.222-06:00

Okay, so I find a "Donner Party" hit on YouTube and open this "video" by The Donner Party: Now, I'm not at all au courant with this sort of thing, so would be obliged if some more with-it reader could explain to me what this is all about.

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-51674577662503341362011-08-11T06:55:00.004-06:002011-08-11T15:24:34.552-06:00

Back in November 2008, when the election was over, I blogged about the frequent use of the Donner Party as a metaphor for the parlous state of national politics. Both liberal and conservative commentators have referred to the other side as a Donner Party ruthlessly savaging their companions in a desperate attempt to survive. One entrepreneur had even made up a Donner political party logo,

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-58568826940591833952011-07-31T19:40:00.003-06:002011-07-31T20:43:13.951-06:00

Fifteen years ago this month, Utah State University Press published my book "Unfortunate Emigrants": Narratives of the Donner Party. This is a collection of previously unanthologized Donner Party primary sources, some well known, some less so, and a few "new" ones, which I had struggled to locate in my own research. I edited them, annotated them, wrote introductions and biographical sketches,

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-63722063851338411962011-06-17T07:15:00.008-06:002011-06-17T09:39:25.643-06:00

Guess what! An Archaeology of Desperation: Exploring the Donner Party's Alder Creek Camp is now available for pre-order at Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble, and, no doubt, other fine emporia. The publisher is the University of Oklahoma Press, the ISBN is 1806142103, and the release date is October 20, 2011. Dr. Kelly Dixon is just checking the last set of galleys, and then that puppy's going to bed!This

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-45701184453402496282011-06-14T07:13:00.009-06:002011-06-14T07:48:18.005-06:00

At last work has begun on the new museum at Donner Memorial State Park. The planning started back in 2002 or earlier -- the old museum, which opened in 1962, had become too small for current operations and is not structurally sound or ADA-compliant. The federal grant and the state parks bond that provide the funding have been in place for some time and cannot be used for anything else, so despite

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-7455868459103588542011-06-12T21:53:00.006-06:002011-06-14T08:02:40.116-06:00

It's been quite a while since I last blogged -- I came down with an acute attack of RLS (Real Life Syndrome) and got out of the habit. I haven't given up on the Donner Party, though -- all sorts of things have been going on. Back in October I visited Alder Creek for the first time in ages. It was great to be back! John Grebenkemper and I -- mostly John, actually -- have been checking out some new

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-33045055646143602192010-12-09T19:41:00.004-07:002011-06-14T07:40:27.123-06:00

R. R. Auction of Amherst, New Hampshire, is offering two early documents bearing the signatures of Donner Party leaders. The first is a petition dated February 16, 1840, asking the Sangamon County Commissioners to extend the Jacksonville Road, signed by George Donner and 37 others. The other document, undated, protests the annulment of the Bloomington Road, and is signed by James F. Reed and

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-32590496620141666442010-10-18T11:03:00.006-06:002010-10-19T09:25:14.884-06:00

On Sunday, October 31, Donner Memorial State Park interpreter Gayle Green will guide visitors on a tour of the state park and the Alder Creek campsite. The event will begin at 10:30 and last about two hours. No fee is mentioned in the Sierra Sun article. You can also visit the state park website or call (530) -582-7892 for more information. The date was chosen because it was when the Donner Party

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-30012151917406170162010-09-29T07:18:00.004-06:002011-06-14T07:42:59.095-06:00

In case anybody is interested (not that I expect them to be), I'm going to be on internet radio next Monday night, October 4. Ron Miller is going to interview me on his program The Chosen, which covers a variety of unusual topics such as UFOs, the paranormal, conspiracy theories, and so on. (Cannibalism is sufficiently outré to merit inclusion, I'd think.) Ron got the idea after last

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-62653265646817070032010-09-28T20:10:00.006-06:002011-06-14T17:37:33.220-06:00

Things have been a mite slow on the Donner Party front lately. I continue to research -- Ancestry.com has just added the 1852 California State Census to their online databases, so I've been tracking down Donner Party survivors and rescuers, or trying to -- some of them are pretty darn elusive. Some are right where you expect them, while others show up in surprising places. Baptiste, for instance,

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-24221106702975665512010-08-20T07:15:00.009-06:002010-08-20T12:23:07.470-06:00

Fifty years ago today, construction crews working on Interstate 80 along the north side of Donner Lake inadvertently started a huge wildfire on Donner Ridge. Whipped by winds, it roared eastward. Firefighters stopped the blaze from destroying the historic Donner family camp at Alder Creek, however, by bulldozing a line in time to protect the area. Consequently, when three years later Highway 89

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-75232378379553566502010-07-19T09:40:00.010-06:002010-07-21T08:30:16.021-06:00

This morning, July 19, 2010, The Papers of Abraham Lincoln has announced the discovery of a new Lincoln document, a muster roll of Captain Jacob M. Early’s militia company from the Black Hawk War. The document is interesting because of its early date (1832), unusual nature (Lincoln filled out only part of the document – the rest is in another hand), and especially because of its history:

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-20447610675660264982010-07-10T09:12:00.003-06:002010-07-10T09:42:41.800-06:00

It's been a while since I posted, but that doesn't mean there's nothing new on the Donner front. I've turned up a lot of info on Louis Keseberg, for instance: a little bit on his ancestry, quite a bit about his life after the disaster, and a fair bit about some of his descendants.Also, there's a big push to get the archaeology book wrapped up by the end of the month -- eeep! I've been tweaking my

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-19843937913699801582010-05-30T09:19:00.006-06:002010-05-30T15:52:14.386-06:00

Well, the amended "there was too cannibalism in the Donner Party!" statement from the archaeologists didn't get nearly as much attention as the earlier gaffe it sought to retract, but at least the retraction is out there. Anyway, the flap had calmed down and I was taking a breather, but Ken Dunn got me back to the blog when he alerted me to a new "independent horror film currently in development"

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-85522060015532116632010-05-02T08:38:00.004-06:002010-05-04T13:18:20.125-06:00

Two articles rebutting the latest "no-Donner-Party-cannibalism" flap were published today, Ethan Rarick's in the Los Angeles Times (Donner Party cannibalism -- it's still true) and Frank Mullen's in the Reno Gazette-Journal (Researcher: Donner Party did cannibalize the dead after all). Maybe they'll do some good; the LA Times is a major paper and Frank is an AP reporter, so hopefully other

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-69810582894888030852010-04-23T09:17:00.005-06:002010-05-04T13:18:49.498-06:00

In my last post, I wrote that the latest flap had died down. Well, it hadn't, it just went into remission to gear up for another spurt (not unlike what Eyjafjallajökull may be up to) and there was another flurry of the no-Donner-Party-cannibalism "news" for a few days. Now Appalachian State University has published a revised press release about Dr. Gwen Robbins' work on the bones from Alder

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-28392807834280819832010-04-18T10:11:00.006-06:002010-05-04T13:19:16.547-06:00

Well, the latest flap seems to have died down, and not a minute too soon, either. This is exactly what happened in back January 2006: archaeologists report that they found no evidence of cannibalism in the bone fragments at one Donner Party site, and the idiot media turns it into "Donner Party cannibalism a total myth!" Gabrielle Burton, the author of two recent books about Tamzene Donner,

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-88477677237351896292010-04-15T07:11:00.018-06:002010-05-04T13:19:37.732-06:00

Sigh. It's astonishing, and disheartening, how academics -- people who ought to know better -- can distort and thoroughly misrepresent simple facts.I just read an article from Appalachian State University News about the Alder Creek dig, reporting on Dr. Gwen Robbin's work on the bone remains found at Alder Creek during the 2003-04 digs. Now, you'd think that a statement issued by a university

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-19868366086185111462010-04-09T08:00:00.015-06:002010-05-04T13:19:56.434-06:00

Don Springer, a fourth great grandson of George Donner, will be speaking in Springfield, Illinois, this month. Don is a descendant of George's only son, William, who remained in Springfield when his father headed west in 1846. Don's branch of the family still owns part of William's farm, which originally had been George's. (George and Tamzene sold it to William for "1 dollar & natural love &

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-3490365754047783682010-03-21T09:53:00.006-06:002010-04-09T10:09:00.257-06:00

Just a few odds and ends.First, Gabrielle Burton's Impatient With Desire, a novel about Tamzene Donner, has been out for a couple of weeks now. It's a quick, enjoyable read and I'm glad to say that the reviews I've seen are positive.Second, I've been reading Will Bagley's So Rugged and Mountainous, a history of the overland trails from 1812-1848, and it's great. For Donner Party fans, the

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-8106225368572866242010-03-20T08:50:00.006-06:002010-05-04T13:20:49.839-06:00

Well, this looks, um, different... "Bootie With the Donner Party" is part of the wild and wacky nightlife of San Francisco this weekend. "John! John! and the Wagonistas" are going to provide a history lesson via a "live stage show and DJ set" tonight at the DNA Lounge, 375 11th Street, at 9:00. I have no idea what this might be all about, so if anybody goes, please report back! And see if you can

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-40424164076954069352010-03-03T07:25:00.012-07:002010-07-09T07:51:00.292-06:00

In a previous post I mentioned Will Bagley, whom I've been pestering for years with questions about the trails, Lansford W. Hastings, and western history in general. Will is known in Utah for his incisive writings on Mormon history, but more importantly (to me, anyway) he's also an authority on the overland trails. For years now he's been working on a mammoth 4-volume history of the western

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-55128229442585576102010-02-23T07:14:00.005-07:002010-02-23T07:22:48.050-07:00

Heads up! Gabrielle Burton's new novel about Tamzene Donner, Impatient with Desire, will be coming out on March 9. Read more about it at Gabrielle's website; you can pre-order a copy at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, etc.

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-47633051919372654762010-02-19T15:34:00.012-07:002011-06-14T17:34:16.299-06:00

Once again, the History Channel has chosen the Donner Party for its "This day in history" feature for February 19 (see last year's blog entry). Although headed "Donner Party rescued," the column points out that the First Relief, which reached Donner Lake about sundown 163 years ago today, was the first of several and the rescue wasn't complete until April.

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-91450388747366419172010-02-12T18:44:00.017-07:002011-06-14T17:39:42.219-06:00

[Note: Some of you might notice I've toned my initial response down. I decided there's enough negativity in the world without my adding quite so much.]Well, I just received a rude response to my previous blog entry, "Director Responds." Anonymous commented,Why don't you post the paragraph where he consulted you about the script prior to filming? I find it interesting that you go to such lengths

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-40213255282433333512010-02-08T07:44:00.004-07:002011-06-14T17:21:38.820-06:00

TJ Martin, director of The Donner Party, which I slammed in my last post, responded with thoughtful response detailing the history of the project and how it evolved into its final form. It's too bad he didn't get a chance to make the film he wanted to make. With his permission, here's his email:I write this letter because I thought you and your readers might be interested in knowing why we made

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-68817969743276621542010-01-31T10:12:00.008-07:002011-06-14T17:22:57.190-06:00

Well, all you aspiring screenwriters can take comfort: there's still no Donner Party movie. At least, not one that you need to worry about competing with.As you probably all know, Anacapa Entertainment's new film, The Donner Party, was released on DVD on January 26. I got my copy yesterday and have watched it twice. I don't quite know what to say, but that won't stop me from saying it.Donner

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-49747660647990097642010-01-11T19:59:00.002-07:002010-01-11T21:00:03.541-07:00

Well, matters move apace! Anybody willing to risk driving up into the Sierra in the dead of winter can attend a special screening of Anacapa Entertainment's new flick, The Donner Party, at the Sugar Bowl's Judah Lodge this weekend. It's showing at 7:00 P.M. on Sunday, January 17, $10 at the door. Director T.J. Martin and several cast members will be there, and there'll be a Q-and-A session after

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-47950284729012991892010-01-10T14:20:00.003-07:002010-01-10T15:26:33.248-07:00

I've been slaving away at Donnerpedia and it's getting closer to being ready for prime time -- no launch date in sight, though -- and in reviewing New Light and all the information I've collected over the years, I have to say it's my readers who have helped me the most. Oh, sure, I've pestered my share of historians, researchers, librarians, archivists, and sundry other victims over the years,

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-88286159858236289992010-01-06T08:15:00.008-07:002010-01-06T10:23:53.759-07:00

Last night as I went to bed after posting my quiz, I thought, "Dumb idea-- nobody's going to answer." This morning I get up and not only is there an answer but a winner. Eric Baumgartner identified the three errors in the blurb describing the new Donner Party movie :Based on the harrowing true story, The Donner Party picks up after William Hastings steers a group, nicknamed "Forlorn Hope," off

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-29000625552554756112010-01-05T20:15:00.006-07:002010-01-06T11:14:15.258-07:00

Check out this newly available clip from the film The Donner Party. Franklin Ward Graves goes bugeye crazy and takes his son-in-law down. And pipe the snowshoes -- guess the Forlorn Hope did their outfitting at Cabela's. "We don't need no stinkin' oxbows..."QUIZIdentify three errors in the following blurb:Based on the harrowing true story, The Donner Party picks up after William Hastings steers

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-23637974112794895272010-01-01T08:53:00.011-07:002010-01-07T08:01:53.354-07:00

It looks like 2010 will start off with a bang for Donner Party buffs -- the long-awaited movie is scheduled to be released on DVD on January 26. You can pre-order a copy at Amazon.com. A lot of people have written me asking about this film, but I've had a very busy fall so haven't tried to keep up with it. Here's what I know, with some opinions thrown in: This film, the first production of

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-47703294416682834512009-12-13T07:44:00.002-07:002009-12-13T07:59:58.146-07:00

Oh, yes, I've been meaning to mention: As regular readers might recall, I've been unable to edit New Light On the Donner Party for ages and have been investigating various alternatives: new software, new host, new format. Since late October I've been working on a new site, which I'm calling Donnerpedia, unless somebody can suggest a better title. Anyway, it's a reworked version of New Light,

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-28119797957284700692009-12-13T07:26:00.004-07:002009-12-13T08:06:57.489-07:00

Last year the University of Nebraska published Gabrielle Burton's memoir Searching for Tamsen Donner, in which she chronicles her quest to find the elusive heroine of the Donner Party. Next year Hyperion will publish Gabrielle's novel, Impatient with Desire, which tells Tamzene's story through an imaginative recreation of her lost diary. The book isn't due out until March 1, 2010, but can be

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-27997541004618625202009-11-30T18:40:00.018-07:002009-12-13T09:34:04.226-07:00

I got my copy of Allan W. Eckert's Dark Journey: The Tragedy of the Donner Party in the mail today, and it's... bad. Really bad. I haven't even read the book yet, just the notes, and perused the text here and there, and I'm telling you, folks, it's a train wreck.First, despite the publisher's flowery obfuscations, it's a novel: Eckert makes things up. Now, history can be dull, and of course one

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-68723125504754551842009-11-29T15:09:00.004-07:002009-11-29T15:16:07.927-07:00

Some time ago a reader kindly sent me a link to On the Trail of Tragedy: Excavation of the Donner Party Site, a video about the 1994 excavation at Alder Creek, which you can watch for free online. Check it out!

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-47112626004621016582009-11-14T15:01:00.010-07:002009-12-13T08:08:10.359-07:00

I checked the Jesse Stuart Foundation website yesterday and Allan Eckert's new Donner Party book, Dark Journey, is available for purchase here. 334 p., $25.00. Haven't read it yet, but hope to soon.

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-51132892495558475312009-11-04T06:50:00.015-07:002009-11-14T15:10:36.002-07:00

It suddenly occurred to me that I coulda mentioned this a coupla months ago: in August I was awarded the Oregon-California Trails Association's Merrill J. Mattes Award for Excellence in Writing for my article "Survivor: Sarah Graves Fosdick," which was published in Overland Journal 26, no. 1 (Spring 2008). The award itself is a handsome engraved plaque on a walnut base and I have no idea what to

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-7120757901830607652009-10-31T21:09:00.022-06:002010-04-10T16:47:12.475-06:00

Since it's Halloween and all...Some places speak distinctly. Certain dank gardens cry aloud for a murder; certain old houses demand to be haunted; certain coasts are set apart for shipwrecks. --Robert Louis StevensonOne would think that, of all places, the scenes of the Donner Party tragedy would be haunted, but there just aren't many Donner ghost stories, and with few exceptions the ones I've

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-88489149332996948072009-10-24T20:43:00.012-06:002009-12-13T08:12:06.849-07:00

Well, this one sneaked up on me -- I had no idea there was a new Donner Party book in the works when I stumbled on some buzz about Dark Journey by Allan Eckert, published by the Jesse Stuart Foundation. You can read more about the book here. Sounds interesting, but it looks like we'll have to wait to order it -- I just visited the foundation's website and the book isn't listed yet. Keep checking!

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-89529594917278173762009-10-17T13:30:00.008-06:002009-11-06T10:46:45.273-07:00

Today my genealogy program told me that Noah James was the half-brother of the father-in-law of the brother-in-law of a second cousin of the husband of a great-granddaughter of George Donner.I did not ask for this information.

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-4830932270961623142009-08-30T10:08:00.005-06:002009-09-10T12:41:16.982-06:00

Exactly 160 years ago today, San Francisco's Alta California published news of the death of John Sinclair, an early California pioneer who had participated in the efforts to rescue the Donner Party.Sinclair arrived in California in 1834, obtained a land grant, and plowed the first furrow in the Sacramento Valley, according to the Alta. He settled at Rancho del Paso, 2-3 miles north of Sutter's

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-91738302991278244392009-08-07T22:08:00.005-06:002009-08-08T11:47:08.068-06:00

Skull Valley was full of smoke on the afternoon of on August 2, 1846, when the nine members of the Bryant-Russell Party arrived at Redlum Spring. They camped early and rose in the middle of the night to begin preparations to cross the Great Salt Lake Desert. At 1:30 A.M. on August 3, Edwin Bryant wrote, the nearly full moon* looked "like a ball of fire, and shining with a dim and baleful light,

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-43501205905761578422009-07-29T06:26:00.007-06:002009-08-01T16:16:26.853-06:00

In my last post, I described the new Graves family treasure I recently acquired, a collection of letters, photos, and other items from the family of Eleanor Graves McDonnell's daughter Mary Greene. Last weekend I made an all-too-brief visit to California to show some of the pictures to Graves family descendants in Sonoma County. Friday night we shared a great dinner, visiting and chatting, and

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-73832063790253357382009-05-11T07:39:00.007-06:002009-05-12T07:22:14.662-06:00

In March 1847 Mrs. Elizabeth Graves hid her family's wealth near Donner Lake. When the coins were rediscovered in May 1891, the story of the lost Graves treasure hit newspapers across the country. On Thursday I became the recipient of a new Graves treasure, a collection of photographs, letters, and other material from the family of Eleanor Graves McDonnell's daughter, Mary McDonnell Greene.Mary

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-35932075842659731712009-05-03T15:22:00.005-06:002009-05-06T15:10:35.348-06:00

Well, it's here! Daniel James Brown's The Indifferent Stars Above is now available. Mary Roach, in her favorable New York Times review, described it as "an ideal pairing of talent and material" and Brown as "a deft and ambitious storyteller, sifting through the copious and often conflicting details... to forge a trim, surging, minute by minute narrative." (Roach is no stranger to the Donner Party

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-5422521257369926212009-04-18T11:00:00.003-06:002009-04-18T11:29:31.981-06:00

James D. Houston, whose 2001 novel Snow Mountain Passage focused on the Reeds of the Donner Party, died in on Thursday, April 16, 2009. The house in Santa Cruz where he lived for many years had once been the home of Patty Reed Lewis. Read his obituary here.On a cheerier note, Gabrielle Burton's Searching for Tamsen Donner has received some great reviews. I found it a delightful read, myself, and

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-44514664391613470842009-02-19T22:54:00.006-07:002009-05-06T15:08:40.790-06:00

Gabrielle Burton's new book, Searching for Tamsen Donner, is available ahead of schedule from the University of Nebraska Press. I haven't had a chance to read much of the published version, but can tell you that it's quite a story. In the summer of 1977, bitten by the Tamsen bug, Gabrielle, her husband, and five daughters piled into their station wagon and set out from their home in Buffalo, New

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-74336496568664779352009-02-19T22:01:00.004-07:002009-05-06T15:11:43.823-06:00

One hundred sixty-two years ago today, on February 19, 1847, the first relief party reached Donner Lake, a factoid which appears in several "on this day in history" features, including Chase's Calendar of Events, History.com, and in a number of blogs. It's gratifying to see so much recognition of this event, and amusing to read some of the commentsBy an interesting coincidence, today is also the

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-41844496575505590742009-02-06T21:18:00.008-07:002009-02-06T22:06:41.671-07:00

Today I got an e-mail from John E. Moore, producer of The Forlorn, Anacapa Entertainment's forthcoming movie based on the band of snowshoers (later known as the Forlorn Hope) who set out from the camp at Donner Lake in December 1846 to get help from Sutter's Fort. Anacapa's in the process of scoring/mixing the film; no release date has been set yet. You can view a trailer here. It's kinda hard to

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-14340282584322189852009-01-28T21:06:00.009-07:002009-02-06T21:59:42.442-07:00

Last year I blogged about a forthcoming horror movie with a Donner Party theme, and now it looks like Necrosis is nearing release. From what I can tell, it has the usual plot: a group of young people goes off to have fun at some location or other that turns out to have a dark history; they are terrorized by a specter from the past that stalks them and strikes them down one by one. In this case,

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-72644154469494206212009-01-01T10:45:00.007-07:002009-02-06T22:27:18.413-07:00

With two, hopefully three major books about the Donner Party coming out, 2009 will be a banner year for followers of the saga.First there's Gabrielle Burton's Searching for Tamsen Donner, published by the University of Nebraska Press and due out on March 1. Gabrielle describes her personal quest for the elusive heroine and ends with the first publication of all of Tamzene's known letters.And you

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-30161061893220852302008-12-07T09:05:00.005-07:002009-05-06T15:09:33.181-06:00

Five years ago, Termite Arts produced an episode about the Donner Party for the Discovery Channel program "Unsolved History" which aired on October 8, 2003. As I wrote at the time, it was "not a resounding success. Most correspondents thought it had a jarringly split personality. The first part featured reenactment experiments, the second the archaeological discoveries at Alder Creek. Both parts

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-13229455285772432642008-11-19T07:01:00.002-07:002009-02-06T22:00:47.789-07:00

When I got to Alder Creek in July 2004 I was eager to learn if anything had turned up at the dig yet, so I stopped a likely looking woman in the parking lot. Yes, she said, she was with the dig, they had indeed been finding things, and mentioned pieces of broken writing slate. When I heard that, I got chills -- Tamzene Donner had been a school teacher and took school supplies to California! That

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-58800223322090221632008-11-16T09:23:00.006-07:002009-02-06T22:01:19.023-07:00

My frequent long silences don't mean that nothing is going on on the Donner front -- au contraire! I've been so busy, I don't know where to start. I've sent in the first draft of my contribution to the Donner Party archaeology book, which was quite a relief, but now I'm working on revisions. Some interesting things have come up that I need to shoehorn in somehow. Also, I worked with Will

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-44006408262967930752008-11-09T10:36:00.005-07:002009-02-06T22:02:51.329-07:00

I hate politics, so it's a relief to get the election over with. What's really interesting is how the Donner Party kept popping up in the commentary. This is nothing new; for instance, in 1998, one commentator wrote, "... even the staunchest defenders of the GOP are wondering how much progress there is in moving from the Republican to the 'Donner' party," and in 2005 another wrote, "Howard Dean

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-58238199247141191392008-07-10T20:11:00.003-06:002008-07-10T20:18:40.436-06:00

A good friend and Donner Party buff was inspired by the last blog entry to compose a poem of his own:There once was a boy name of DonnerWho feared he would soon be a goner.So he munched on his PaAnd made lunch of his MaBut kept mum as a grim point of honor.Needless to say, he wants to remain anonymous.

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-13421562302394515572008-07-09T11:06:00.003-06:002008-07-09T11:37:06.717-06:00

Shana Youngdahl's Donner: A Passing has just become available from Finishing Line Press -- I haven't read it myself yet, but Cynthia Reeser and blogger Amy think it's great. I'll take their word for it because I'm not into modern poetry. Youngdahl isn't the first to write a verse interpretation of the Donner Party story -- Julia Altrocchi took it on in 1936 with Snow Covered Wagons, George

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-4501508600880401652008-06-22T22:23:00.003-06:002008-06-22T22:34:19.828-06:00

Remember a few posts ago I mentioned Rush Spedden's Overland Journal article about the Donner Party's route across the Salt Lake Valley? Well, as I expected, the latest issue has a response in a letter to the editor by Roy Tea, arguing that the Korns-Morgan hypothesis is correct and Rush is mistaken. I don't have an opinion myself, but if you're interested, check out Overland Journal 26:2.

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-55163020947132062008-06-22T09:26:00.004-06:002008-06-22T14:20:51.889-06:00

Dedicated in September 1962, the Emigrant Trail Museum at Donner Memorial State Park is now aging and inadequate, and is scheduled for replacement. However, the construction of the new High Sierra Crossing Museum, slated to begin last month, has been pushed back a year due to a delay in matching federal transportation grants. The new museum is now expected to open in 2010.In the meantime, the old

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-21441416388349528062008-05-29T07:10:00.005-06:002008-05-29T07:41:01.097-06:00

Lots going on on the Donner Party front, mostly writing: two articles in the last issue of Overland Journal, a review of Ethan Rarick's Desperate Passage for the next issue of OJ, co-authoring a chapter for the upcoming Donner Party archaeology book with Will Bagley, an article about the remains of a man found in 1847 and 1849 above Donner Lake for Crossroads, reviewing two manuscripts of Donner

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-5963510370113063962008-04-10T21:54:00.005-06:002008-04-11T07:05:21.770-06:00

Those who're interested can purchase Overland Journal 26:1 (Spring 2008), which contains three Donner Party articles, from the Oregon-California Trails Association. Phone (888) 811-6282, toll-free, to make a credit card purchase. $5.00 per copy, plus postage. (Disclaimer: I have no financial interest in sales of the issue.)

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-14463991134088835632008-04-10T19:46:00.009-06:002008-04-15T11:30:44.591-06:00

So much has been happening on the Donner Party front this spring that it's hard to know where to start.Yesterday I was surprised and pleased to hear of another book in the works, this one with a very different approach. In 1973 Gabrielle Burton was bitten by the Tamzene Donner bug. Over the years she's pursued Tamzene, traveling to Newburyport, Mass., Elizabeth City, N.C., Springfield, Ill., and

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-28140065733785219142008-03-08T18:04:00.005-07:002008-04-10T21:54:18.120-06:00

The latest issue over Overland Journal, the quarterly of the Oregon-California Trails Association (OCTA), is full of Donner Party material, including some new primary documents.First are three letters by rescuer Selim E. Woodworth. Two were written while he was on the trail to Oregon in 1846, the third on February 6, 1847, the eve of his departure to the mountains to rescue a party of "

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-92006800254905821292008-02-25T17:37:00.004-07:002008-03-23T09:49:54.367-06:00

Ruth Whitman's poem cycle Tamsen Donner: A Woman's Journey has inspired yet another artistic interpretation, described as an "operatorio in one act."On March 14 and 15 the Seattle EXperimental Opera (SEXO) will present Tom Baker's Hunger: The Journey of Tamsen Donner at 8:00 PM at the Chapel at Good Shepherd Center in Seattle -- see Tom's website or the press release for more information. Anybody

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-60981178250680515942008-02-22T07:57:00.004-07:002008-04-12T10:17:43.731-06:00

The URL for New Light on the Donner Party has been changed, for some mysterious reason. It's now http://www.xmission.com/~octa/DonnerParty/. However, the old one still seems to be functioning, too. Very strange.

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-20679909219386545012008-02-22T07:23:00.008-07:002010-07-10T09:12:40.583-06:00

Over the years there have been several plans to make a feature film about the Donner Party but none has ever been completed. Previous flutters about Donner movie projects have followed a predictable pattern: an initial announcement, sporadic follow-up reports, and then a deafening silence. Why? I can't say for certain, but suspect that these projects' demise can be attributed to the ever-tricky

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-36952814036747370412008-02-02T07:40:00.001-07:002008-02-22T07:56:10.387-07:00

Well, Ethan Rarick's new book on the Donner Party is officially out. Desperate Passage: The Donner Party's Perilous Journey West (Oxford University Press) has been available at Amazon.com for about a month now, but today's New York Times, the San Jose Mercury News, and other papers have published reviews, generally favorable. At last we have an up-to-date narrative history of the Donner Party

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-23101260018224345992007-12-03T07:43:00.000-07:002007-12-03T08:07:54.024-07:00

Well, it looks like geography will prevent me from seeing another Donner Party performance -- Stuart Richel informs me that he will be reprising his role as James F. Reed in "Mortal Decisions, a Diary of the Donner Party." Richel [pronounced rih-SHELL] wrote this one-man show, which premiered in San Jose, California, in 1994, and has presented it at other venues, including the first-night banquet

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-76485801793419954072007-11-20T07:34:00.000-07:002007-12-03T08:06:55.325-07:00

When I first heard about Ron Cunningham's Donner Party ballet performed recently in Sacramento, I was sorry to have missed it. Not anymore! A correspondent wrote to the paper and learned of a "plot twist" -- George Donner didn't die of gangrene, no, no! Instead, the ballet suggests he was beaten to death by disgruntled party members. Tch! As if the memories of Donner Party members haven't been

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-6362374270975502642007-10-26T22:44:00.000-06:002007-10-28T16:28:13.117-06:00

The Donner Party has inspired a lot of artistic interpretations over the years -- novels, short stories, children's books, poems, paintings, plays, even an opera. Two works in the news of late are Jim Shaw's The Donner Party and Ron Cunningham's A Woman's Journey: The Tamsen Donner Story.Shaw's work was in the news a while back when it came up for auction at Christie's. It's an installation

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-35703121160449726692007-07-19T16:05:00.000-06:002007-07-19T17:10:46.139-06:00

An alert Donner buff sent me the following link to an article in the San Jose Mercury News of today, July 19, 2007: http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_6411936Oh, I am sick about this! A San Jose preservationist contacted me for information about Eliza Donner Houghton back about 2002. I was pleased to learn that Eliza's home was still standing and had been deemed a local landmark. Last I heard, there

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-77133523049649292742007-06-24T09:02:00.000-06:002007-06-24T14:29:01.718-06:00

Lots of newish Donner Party books out there or on the way.First, I recently acquired Green Light (2000), by Patrick Breen. (No, not that Patrick Breen!) It's a horror story about a teenager named Patrick Breen who goes to a creepy summer camp in the Sierra Nevada and... well, let's just say there's a reason why it was published by a vanity press. Although it's not as awful as one might expect, I

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-84212192770063969772007-06-24T08:24:00.000-06:002007-06-24T09:01:52.087-06:00

Well, it's been a long time since I blogged, but I haven't been utterly idle. Lots going on!Mostly I've been working on my Donner Party bibliography, which now numbers over 4700 citations. (There are hundreds more piled up that I haven't entered into my bibiliographic management program yet -- I use EndNote X.) The bibliography includes just about anything Donner Party: primary documents,

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-88319773885406981392007-02-10T08:37:00.000-07:002007-02-10T09:21:56.892-07:00

I'm sometimes asked to review other people's work, usually written, but this month I was asked to review something different: a debate. Eighth grade history teacher Eric Langhorst of Liberty, Missouri, divided his third-period class into two sections and showed them Ric Burns' documentary, after which the two teams debated whether or not Lansford W. Hastings was responsible for the Donner Party

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-29689907713907386692007-02-10T08:13:00.000-07:002007-02-10T08:12:27.588-07:00

I may have been inactive on the blog for the past two months, but I haven't forsaken the Donner Party -- I've been busy researching, reading, and e-mailing. Especially e-mailing! A bumper crop of students are working on Donner Party projects for National History Day this year -- I must have had ten different groups contact me for information. I received e-mail from one person working on a Donner

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-1165720683527994592006-12-09T18:34:00.000-07:002006-12-09T20:31:38.680-07:00

Eighty years ago this month, newspapers across the country reported another drama in the snow: Pioneer Methods Used in Rescuing Tourists Tonopah, Nev., Dec. 1. (AP) -- Rescued from the fate which befell the Donner party in the winter of 1846-47, passengers of thirty-one automobiles trapped in snow drifts in Montgomery Pass in the Sierra Mountains between here and Southern California, were

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-1165592157007115742006-12-08T07:51:00.000-07:002006-12-08T11:22:28.766-07:00

The analogy to the Donner Party is unavoidable -- a family stranded in the snow with little food, coping with their situation for as long as they could until finally one of them left the others to go for help. Like many others, I watched the story of the stranded Kim family unfold with great concern, rejoicing when Kati Kim and her daughters were found alive, praying for her still missing

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-1165504911381169602006-12-07T08:01:00.000-07:002006-12-07T08:21:51.390-07:00

OK, I've turned on the "Comments" option, just to see what response I get. I enjoy hearing from my readers but had to remove the guest book from New Light on the Donner Party because of all the spam it was getting, so I'm hoping this will be a good substitute. We'll see how it goes. Note: I reserve the right to moderate comments -- gross or obscene posts will get yanked.

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-1165172447178713332006-12-03T10:33:00.000-07:002006-12-03T16:35:18.336-07:00

Old newspapers are a gas. It's fascinating to see how people wrote back in the 1800s and early 1900s, how they thought and what they bought. And it may sound ghoulish, but obituaries can be particularly useful, not only for genealogical information but also because they preserve personal tidbits that might otherwise go unrecorded. Unfortunately, however, newspapers also generate and repeat

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-1163874377532522912006-11-18T11:17:00.000-07:002006-11-18T11:26:17.540-07:00

The real problem with the Sarah Keyes photo is the dress worn by the woman in the photo -- it doesn't have the long, pointed bodice typical of the 1840s but the straight, natural waist more typical of the 1850s and '60s. However, older women often don't follow the latest fashion trends and other photos from the 1840s show women wearing dresses with a natural waistline. We'll see what some

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-1163346464017355222006-11-12T07:17:00.000-07:002006-11-18T11:06:41.463-07:00

In the fall of 1944, 36 volunteers arrived at the University of Minnesota to take part in an audacious year-long experiment: they agreed to starve to save others.The project was the brainchild of Dr. Ancel Keys, the physiologist who had invented of the K-ration. It had become obvious that with WWII winding down, something would have to be done to save the millions of starving people who had lived

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-1163167334855900062006-11-10T06:47:00.000-07:002006-11-10T07:02:14.866-07:00

The proposed expansion of the Emigrant Trails Museum at Donner Memorial State Park requires a preliminary environmental survey of the area, so an archaeological team has been digging near the museum for the past few weeks. According to a recent article in the Reno Gazette-Journal by Frank Mullen, "So far, the archaeologists have found rusted round and square nails, broken plates, tin cans, metal

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-1162997486103324572006-11-08T07:40:00.000-07:002006-11-08T07:51:26.113-07:00

William Eddy's third marriage has been a mystery. All anybody knew about his third wife was that her name was A. M. Pardee or Pardoe and that she was from St. Louis. I've been doing some poking around and am pretty certain that her name was actually Ann M. Purdy and that she married Eddy in St. Louis in April 1854. After Eddy's death in December 1859, Ann returned to her family in Missouri and

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-1162760461756500542006-11-05T14:56:00.000-07:002006-11-05T14:23:09.836-07:00

Marc McLaughlin's new book has just come out. The Donner Party: Weathering the Storm "focuses on how extreme weather challenged the emigrants and their heroic rescuers." I've seen some of the chapters and this looks to be a fine addition to our understanding of the Donner tragedy. Visit Mark's website at www.micmacmedia.com for ordering information.

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-1162768853908412902006-11-05T14:24:00.000-07:002006-11-05T16:20:53.936-07:00

I just visited the Patrice Press website and was vexed to discover that Greg is offering Maps of the California Trail at half price -- this after I paid full price for it a couple of weeks ago! It's a great resource for trail enthusiasts, consisting of topo maps with the trail clearly marked, and historical quotes, too. Donner buffs will be particularly interested in the maps of Hastings

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-1162761719892747062006-11-05T14:01:00.000-07:002006-11-05T14:21:59.906-07:00

The November 2006 issue of folio, the newsletter of the Patrice Press, details a lengthy e-mail exchange about the authenticity of the photograph of Sarah Keyes at Sutter's Fort. In "Who Is This Lady?" Greg Franzwa and his correspondents discuss a wide variety of topics including daguerreotypes, 19th century women's costume, Grandma Keyes, her burial, and Alcove Spring. Well, I think the

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-1162145724733533722006-10-29T10:35:00.000-07:002006-10-29T11:27:43.490-07:00

On September 3, 2006, a monument honoring George Donner, Sr., was dedicated at Oak Hill Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois, by the local chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. Don Springer, a 5th great-grandson and Springfield resident, organized the creation of the monument after his distant cousin, Jo Ann Brant Schmidt, a 4th generation descendant of the honoree, proved George's record

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-1161531217443707872006-10-22T08:48:00.000-06:002006-10-22T09:42:21.266-06:00

It's hard to believe that a week ago I returned from the Donner 2006 bus tour. I looked forward to it for a long time, enjoyed it thoroughly while it lasted, and now it's over. Sigh.It was a great experience -- an interesting group of people, lots to see, lots to learn. For some it was pilgrimage, visiting sites read about but never actually seen; others had been on one of the previous tours in

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36421273.post-1161495605743704262006-10-21T23:29:00.000-06:002006-10-21T23:40:05.750-06:00

Well, I did it. I've been thinking about creating a Donner Party blog to present my research in a more informal fashion, so here goes! Watch this space as I learn just how this blogging thing works.

Kristin Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10137203177065875290noreply@blogger.com0