Upon entering the Truckee Meadows along the Truckee River, thousands of California-bound emigrants turned their wagons southwest to avoid extensive marshes and uncrossable sloughs. At the base of Rattlesnake Mountain they established a campground that extended nearly two miles east and west and one half mile north and south. Numerous local springs furnished quality water, and the protected location provided an ideal rest stop after hundreds of grueling miles through the Humboldt River Valley. Once rested, the emigrants turned west to face their last major obstacle, the Sierra Nevada. In October 1846, the ill-fated Donner Party spent five days here resting and grazing their weary animals. During a series of unfortunate incidents, one member of the party, William Pike, was accidentally shot, died, and was buried nearby.