Events

New - virtual reality tour of Donner Summit and railroad tunnels.

Donner Party Hike event for 2025 Just click on this link to take you to the event descriptions and sign ups. In addition to the seven hikes offered after lunch will feature a chautauqua about Eliza Donner of the Donner Party followed by a presentation about Snowshoe Thompson and the reprise of his route of the Sierra in early March of this year.


The State Park's Speaker Series is at this link
Other State Park events: sierrastateparks.org

 



News

Extraordinary Crossings - new Donner Summit history book for 2018:
From the Introduction:

The Sierra is a great barrier and there are only a few passes through the great barrier to connect California with the rest of the country. One of those passes is Donner Pass, the area colloquially known as Donner Summit. Through that pass have funneled many stories – stories of heroism, adventure, excitement, pathos, courage, and tenacity. Those stories encompass the very best of the human spirit.

Couple that with Donner Summit being the most historically significant square mile in California and maybe the entire Western United States, and that most of the stories have almost been forgotten, their resurrections ought to be really interesting. They are.

$25, tax and shipping included.


Walking Through Donner Summit History

Donner Summit is the most important historical square mile in California and maybe the entire Western United States. Native Americans crossed for thousands of years. The first emigrants to arrive in California with wagons came over Donner Summit. The first transcontinental railroad, the first transcontinental highway, the first transcontinental air route, and the first transcontinental telephone line all crossed Donner Summit. The first person to bicycle around the world went over Donner Summit, as did the first person to make a motorized crossing of the U.S. and the first people to attempt to cross the country in an automobile. That’s just a bit of the richness that is Donner Summit history.

Then there are the fun small stories: frozen turkeys roosting in the trees, the two-story out house at the Summit Hotel, blindfolded mules, and the Spider Dance.

You can walk through Donner Summit history, where it all took place. In the walks described here you will read the stories, “hear” history through people’s words, and see the historical photographs that bring the history to life.

Link to purchase the book 218 pages ©2015

You can purchase the book on line (link above), via regular mail, at the Soda Springs General Store, at the Donner Summit Historical Society, at the Donner Memorial State Park, or via regular mail (P.O. 1 Norden, 95724) The cost is $25 which includes sales tax, shipping and handling.