Posts by MaryCarol

Sarah A. C. Murphy Foster – a member of the Donner Party born Nov 24, 1826 died Dec 16, 1906. Daughter of Lavinah Jackson Murphy & Jeremiah Burns Murphy. Married to William M. Foster. William and Sarah survived the ill fated winter of 1846-47. They were part of the Forlorn Hope group that crossed the Sierra Mountains, leaving the base camp Dec 16, 1846, walking over the mountains to Johnson’s Ranch in mid January 1847. Old age found Sarah in San Francisco, buried in Ft. Bragg, California with her daughter Minnie Foster Markle and her descendants.

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Snow around the Murphy Cabin

Snow around the Murphy Cabin – April of 2002

Photos by Georgia Walsh 

Stream running near the Murphy Cabin

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The cabin that stood here was built in 1844 and sheltered Moses Schallenberger during the winter of 1844-45.  The cabin was used during the winter of 1846-47 by the BREEN family who were part of the ill fated Donner Party.

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This monument in honor of the pioneer families that crossed the mountains into California.  Those that crossed in winter of 1846-47 as part of the Donner Party were trapped here under record high 22 feet snow drifts.  This monument from the ground level to where the life size bronze family is placed marks that 22 foot mark. Monument reads: Virile to risk and find; Kindly withal and a ready help. Facing the brunt of fate: Indominable – unafraid.

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Lavinah Jackson Murphy’s Lavender Flowers

Along the pathway leading to the Murphy Cabin were blankets of lavender flowers. I like to think these beautiful wildflowers are growing there in her honor.

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Murphy Family Cabin – right view 
 
It is thought that the back fireplace wall was where the plaque is now.

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Murphy Family Cabin – left view 
 
It is thought that the back fireplace wall was where the plaque is now.

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Murphy Family Cabin – front view

It is thought that the back fireplace wall was where the plaque is now.

16 people lived in a make shift cabin here during the winter to spring of 1846-47

The 12 Murphy – (Foster – Pike) family members left after William Pike was accidently shot near where today’s Reno, NV is located plus 4 Eddy Family members built and occupied this cabin.  The large boulder above was part of the cabins west wall, allowing a ready made chimney and hearth plus insulation from rain, snow and wind. It was a dark room with no windows, just a door.  They probably used hides for a roof, maybe some branches.  From excavations and archaeological work done during the summers of 1984 & 1985, it is estimated that the cabin was about 25 ft long, 18 ft. wide and 8 ft. high.  Lodgepole pine trees with straight smooth trunks of approximately the same diameters, were used to build the cabin.  The bark was left on the trees so the log walls would not decay as fast.  Mud was used to fill in the gaps between logs and animal hides were hung on the inside walls to help keep out the wind and cold.  

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13 members of the Murphy Family – red dots – Donner Party 1846-47

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Donner Party Plaque on the Murphy Family cabin site.

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Tree lined path to the Murphy Cabin with little lavender flowers along the way.

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Only a few years after the tragic winter of 1846-47 a railroad line was built that went around Donner Lake. People traveling on the train probably had no idea of what human suffering had occured in this beautiful place. The train is no longer in service but you can see the tracks here and there as the photo above shows. This photo shows part of the covered train track that kept snow and rocks off the trains.

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Donner Lake, California. Off Hwy 80, between Sacramento, California and Reno, Nevada.

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13 members of Murphy Family of Weakley County join Donner Party.

Weakley County’s connection to the ill fated Donner Party of 1846

By MaryCarol

I took the following photos summer of 2003. The Murphy Family traveled from what is today Reno, Nevada, along the Truckee River. Near the eastern shore of todays Donner Lake, they used the boulder above for one side of their make shift cabin.  The huge boulder allowed them to build a fireplace and to provide insulation. Today this boulder has a bronze plaque in it with all the names of the Donner Party….MaryCarol

DONNER LAKE – Along side Hwy 80 between Sacramento and Reno.

DONNER LAKE – covered train tracks

Path to MURPHY Cabin

Donner Party PLAQUE

Donner Party Plaque – MURPHY family noted with red *

Murphy Family Cabin – FRONT view

Murphy Family Cabin – LEFT view

Murphy Family Cabin – RIGHT view

Lavinah MURPHY’S lavender flowers

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MONUMENT to imigrants – 22 ft high snow mark

CABIN SITE  built 1844, before the Donner Party and used by one Donner Party family

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SNOW – Still around the Murphy Cabin April of 2002 – plus icey stream.

Tombstone of Sarah MURPHY FOSTER – Ft. Bragg, California + ground Plaque.

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Beautiful Old Photo of MARY MURPHY COVILLAUD  & husband, Charles Julian Covillaud, with 2 of their children. Photo courtesy of Charlotte Couillaud of France and the Couillaud family. Thank you, Charlotte!

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