The Archaeology Of The Donner PartyThe tragic saga of the Donner Party has inspired both legend and scholarship ever since the survivors were rescued from the High Sierra snows in the spring of 1847. When archaeologist Donald L. Hardesty and four colleagues—a historian and three other archaeologists—turned their collective attention to the ordeal of the Donner Party, the result was an original and sometimes surprising new study of this pioneer group and their place in the history of overland migration. Now available for the first time in paperback, The Archaeology of the Donner Party combines the fruits of meticulous investigation of the Sierra Nevada sites with scientific analysis of artifacts discovered there and interpretation of the documents of the party and the memoirs of survivors. Through this interdisciplinary approach, Hardesty and his colleagues offer new insight into the ordeal of these ill-fated emigrants and demonstrate the vital role that archaeology can play in illuminating and expanding our understanding of historical events. Contributions by Michael Brodhead, Donald K. Grayson, Susan Lindstrom, and George L. Miller. |
Contents
The Donner Party and Overland Emigration 18401860 | |
Archaeology of the Murphy Cabin | |
and SUSAN LINDSTRÖM | |
Donner Party Baggage | |
New Directions in Donner Party Research | |
Ceramics from the Alder Creek Camp | |
Notes | |
Literature Cited | |
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Common terms and phrases
Alder Creek camp Alder Creek campsite American artifacts found beads bear Blue shelledged bone fragments bottle Breen cabin Breen’s diary buttons C. F. McGlashan California Trail ceramic tableware Died in mountains Donner family Donner Family Camp Donner Houghton Donner Lake Donner party Donner party members Donner party period Donner party tragedy Donner shelter Eddy Eliza example excavators found Expedition females Figure firearms Fort Bridger George Donner glass Graves Graves-Reed cabin Grayson Hardesty Hastings cutoff History Humboldt Ibid Jacob Donner James Reed John lake camp layer lead balls males miles mountain camps Ordeal by Hunger Oregon overland emigrants Overland in 1846 party’s Patrick Breen Patrick Breen’s percussion caps Plains Reed’s relief party remains rock route Sierra Nevada Sprig painted Stewart stratum survivors Tahoe National Forest Tamsen Donner tobacco pipes traveling tree Truckee River University of Nevada Unruh Virginia Reed wagon wall Weddell William written accounts