One hundred and sixty-four years ago this week the members of the Donner Party were plodding west across Wyoming toward a gap (South Pass) in the Rocky Mountains.

At this point in time they were a loose part of the larger, Boggs Company (wagon train); it was comprised of nearly 50 wagons. For protection against Indian attack, emigrant pioneers often banded together for safety.

Running Late
The James Reed and George and Jacob Donner families and their hired help consisted of 32 people and nine, loaded farm wagons. They had started west (from Illinois) late in the spring and they moved at a relatively leisurely place during the first half of their journey. This put the Donner group behind nearly all of the other 1,500 pioneers heading to California that year. Despite being behind schedule, after celebrating the Fourth of July, the Donner group spent two more days resting along the North Platte River.

Once wagons surmounted South Pass (still a week ahead) and crossed the Continental Divide, they would be descending the west slope of the Rocky Mountains. Then important decisions would have to be made. Already during the second week in July (1846) some of the men were considering changing their travel plans for the second half of the trip west.

A Shortcut Beckons
There was a potential shortcut ahead and in order to take it, nine men including companions of the Donners and Reeds, traded their wagons for pack animals. This would allow them to travel more quickly through the cut off. Hiram Miller, a teamster for the Donner families, decided to go with this Bryant-Russell Party to the shortcut.

Miller had been keeping a journal since May 12; when he left the Donner group he gave the diary to James Reed who kept up daily entries. Known as the Miller-Reed Diary, it has become one of the most important sources of information on what actually happened to the Donners and Reeds as they headed west.

Eight months later, as a member of the Second and Third Relief efforts to save the stranded Donner Party, Miller would repeatedly risk his life rescuing his friends.

Finally, on July 12, the Donner and Reed wagons reach Independence Rock, 820 wagon miles from the Missouri River. The pioneers spent another day resting, doing chores, and letting cattle graze. Some wrote letters home and Tamsen Donner worked on a book. The Donner group was still about 100 miles from South Pass, considered by many to be the halfway point to California.

Editor's Note: This installment is one in a weekly series tracing the experiences of the Donner Party as it worked its way into American history. The series was written for Tahoetopia by Mark McLaughlin, weather historian, who lives on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe.