Truckee grew up around the railroad that still, today, connects America, East and West. One big part of that history is the snowstorm of 1952 that stranded a loaded passenger train for 4 days. The event was headline news around the world. As Sandy Coots, board member of the Truckee-Donner Railroad Society (in picture below) put it: "We have neglected the railroad part of Truckee's past too long. Now we're going to have a museum. This engine is a start."


January 1952

A new art exhibit, Tahoe-Truckee: Modern Regional Art, opens in September (2007) in Truckee at Carole Sesko Contemporary Art Gallery in Truckee. "If you like your art strong, smart, and hot, you need to see this show," says the gallery owner and artist, Carole Sesko. "This is an exciting collection of arwork representing the artist's interpretation of their experiences in our local environment."

The pride of the extended Donner family was evident in this year's reunion banner: "Their Courage is Our Legacy: 160 years ago they came to this valley and struggled to survive...Today we return to honor them." Every ten years the descendants get together at Donner Lake to celebrate their family history.

New Museum

In an apparent nod to the rafting companies, the Watermaster again held off on raising the river until after the weekend tourist rush. A week prior, the river had been raised to 500 cfs on Sunday, and then dropped on Thursday to approximately 300 cfs, a more moderate flow for rafting.

Councilman, Richard Anderson, was voted in as Vice Mayor. Traditionally, the positions of Mayor and Vice Mayor in the Town of Truckee rotate annually among the Town Council members at the first meeting in December.

"Maia lives up to being a woman of exemplary character, and is certainly a role model for other women in our community," said Joan Hartwell, coordinator for the Woman of Distinction program. Tamara Lieberman, the 2004 recipient, introduced Schneider before the standing room only crowd.

Police Department
The Town of Truckee is unique in the Region in that it is an incorporated town, rather than an unincorporated area of Nevada or Placer counties. While that distinction provides Truckee with latitude and autonomy in emergency preparation, it also places a high burden of responsibility on the town in the event of a major natural, or human-caused, disaster. Truckee is a highway and medical-care hub with many spokes.

On September 24, in keeping with tradition, Father Nelson Van Gundy blessed this year's wine grapes with snow saved from last winter. This blessing marks the beginning of harvest when grapes arrive at the “Big Red Barn,” otherwise known as the Truckee River Winery.

The grapes were hauled over the Sierras from Lodi, Nevada County, and the Santa Lucia Highlands. They will be used to start the current production of merlot, zinfandel and award-winning pinot noir wines.

The finished trail will provide spectacular views of the Sierra Crest, Donner Lake, and Mt. Rose as well as wonderful walking, mountain biking, or horseback riding through a diversity of ecosystems.

Like the Tahoe Rim Trail, the purpose of the Donner Lake Rim Trail is to provide a complete circle of Donner Lake on its surrounding ridge tops. Visitors will be able to hike the entire trail without backtracking or shuttling automobiles.
Starting at Donner Memorial State Park and hiking clockwise, the tentative route is as follows: