History
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Donner Memorial State Park in Truckee, California preserves part of the Donner Camp, where members of the Donner Party were trapped by severe winter storms in 1846–1847 as they tried to cross the Sierra Nevada near Donner Pass. Emigrants split between camps at Alder Creek and Truckee Lake, and at the larger lakeside camp, whose cabin sites lie within the park, dwindling food and shelter drove some to cannibalism. Later memorial efforts led to the 1918 Pioneer Monument and the creation of the state park in 1928. Expanded over time, the park now combines recreation with interpretation of the Donner Party, local Indigenous peoples, and railroad builders.
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Truckee, California · United States
