This is where the Donner Party spent the winter of 1846-47 in cabins and tents, unable to cross the snow-clogged mountain pass just ahead. Many members perished and some resorted to cannibalism.

This 1918 stone monument is topped by a John McQuarrie bronze honoring all pioneers. The shaft is 22 feet high--the snow depth the Donner Party encountered.

Too bad the Donners couldn't have waited a generation. Instead of relying on bad directions, walking, getting lost, falling behind and becoming stranded, they could simply have bought tickets for California. The Transcontinental Railroad passed within view of this spot, service began in 1869.