Donner Summit Historical Society Poster 2013

Our 2013 poster celebrates the magnificent Summit Valley which was acquired by the Truckee Donner Land Trust as part of the Royal Gorge acquisition.

Native Americans occupied Summit Valley in the summers for thousands of years leaving behind petroglyphs, grinding rocks, and basalt flakes from projectile point knapping (see our Native American exhibit and the mortar and metate exhibit. See also our February '13 newsletter.

Granite is one of the hardest rocks on the planet. Imagine the time it took to grind depressions several inches deep into the granite rock in Summit Valley. Summer after summer, generation after generation for thousands of years Native American women ground their food and imparted the ways of the tribe to the young girls. Nearby the men passed on the culture to the boys as they made their projectile points.

The first wagon trains to reach California with wagons went through Summit Valley. The first transcontinental railroad went right along the edge of Summit Valley. The first transcontinental highway, the Lincoln Highway, went along the edge of Summit Valley.
The first transcontinental telephone line went through Summit Valley. The first transcontinental air route went over summit valley with beacons guiding planes sitting on the peaks surrounding the valley.

Donner Summit is very rich in biology. Most of Donner Summit's 500 plant species, 116 butterfly species, 100+ bird species, 16 amphibian species, and dozens of mammal species can be found in Summit Valley because of the many different habitats.

So, Summit Valley is worth celebrating with our 2013 poster.