Near Truckee in Nevada County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

The Nightmare Begins

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, April 26, 2018

1. The Nightmare Begins Marker

Caption: (oval at bottom right) John Baptiste Trudeau, 1830-1910, One of the Donner's Teamsters.

Inscription. They were the first to take wagons through the new Hastings Cutoff. Although shorter, it was a difficult detour through rugged mountains and arid deserts. The emigrants lost valuable time, oxen, and supplies. One person was banished. Five people died. The mishaps of their journey made them late in reaching the Sierra Nevada mountains.

The Party Divides
In late October the weary Donner Party started into these mountains. An axle broke on one of the Donner family wagons. The Donners stopped to make the needed repairs.
The larger portions of the wagon train continued on reaching Truckee Lake (now called Donner Lake) 6 miles from here. A snowstorm stopped both groups from continuing over the summit. The Donner family and their teamsters were forced to make camp here in the Alder Creek Valley.

(Side bar at top right:)
It was about the first of November, I think, that we went into that camp of snow and suffering.
John Baptiste Trudeau
(He was 16 years old during the winter of 1846-47)
From a statement reported in the San Francisco Morning Call, October 11, 1891.

Erected by Tahoe National Forest.

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This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical date for this entry is November 1, 1846.

Location. 39° 22.555′ N, 120° 10.731′ W. Marker is near Truckee, California, in Nevada County. It is on California Route 89 near Alder Creek Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 12893 California Highway 89, Truckee CA 96161, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s Sierra Nevada.

It is also in the American Mountain West.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A Family Heads West (within shouting distance of this marker); Donner Camp Site (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Shelter From the Storm (about 300 feet away); Donner Camp Tree (about 400 feet away); Westward Ho! (about

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, April 26, 2018

2. The Nightmare Begins Marker

The marker is on the left at the bend in the boardwalk.

400 feet away); Surviving the Snowy Trek Out (about 400 feet away); The Fight to Stay Alive (about 400 feet away); Donner Party Camp at Alder Creek Valley / Tamsen and Elizabeth Donner (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Truckee.

More about this marker. This marker is located on the Donner Camp Historic Trail.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 13, 2019. It was originally submitted on February 13, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 678 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 13, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.