This collection chiefly contains material dealing with Donner Party and their ill-fated overland journey to the Pacific in 1846, as well as several items written by Eliza Poor Donner Houghton (1843-1922) dealing with California history. Half of the correspondence deals with the Pioneer (Donner) Monument, which was financed by the Native Sons of the Golden West. The bulk of the collection dates from 1900-1920.

Eliza Poor Donner Houghton (1843-1922), the youngest daughter of George and Tamsen Donner, was three years old when her family left their home in Illinois to head out west to California. This group of travelers, who became trapped in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in 1846, ultimately became known as the ill-fated Donner Party. In March 1847, after several months of entrapment, Eliza and her sisters were rescued by the third relief party to reach the camps. George and Tamsen Donner both died in the mountains, and Eliza and her sister Georgia were taken in by Christian and Mary Brunner, elderly immigrants from Switzerland. In 1854, Eliza moved to Sacramento to live with her oldest half-sister, Elitha Donner Wilder, also a survivor of the Donner Party.

89 items in 4 boxes

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