The San Francisco call., 1910-06-11
SURVIVORS OF
DONNER PARTY
recall PERILS
Three Women Visit Site of Camp
Where They Left Dying
Friends 63 Years Ago
Cornerstone of Great Monument
TO Sufferers Laid Near
Scene of Tragedy
[SessieL Disealeh 70 The Call

:. :TRUCkEE, June 10.-Three women
> stood today at the place from which,
= more than 63 years ago they as chill
!. 'aren, had trudged away. Ill, emaciated,
:. 'famished, leaving behind them dying
KIN and the dead bodies of their
friends. The three women were Mrs.
= Francis T. Wilder, born Donner, of
:. Byron; Mrs. Martha Lewis, who was
: Patty" Reed Of Capitola, and Mrs.
: Virginia Reed Murphy of Marysville.
= her sister.
The women were survivors Of the
2. Donner party, whose tragic fate in the
}igh Sierra in the winter of 1876 and
,: 1ell was the most terrible experience
suffered by California pioneers. out of
:. 81 IN the party, sc perished near the
site ct the monument. No more af-
!: .fecting scene viii ever be seen by a
, -grand parlor OF the Native Sons Of the
Golden West
BARBECUE ON CABINS SITE
The session, which was held at Lake
;. Tahoe, Is miles away, adjourned
8 Thursday. and members and grand Of
hcers came TO Truckee and Donner lake
today 10 lay the cornerstone Of the
great monument on the site of one of
the camps Of the Donner party to per-
petuate the heroisnl and marIyrdom OF
the California pioneers
= With the spontaneous eloqUence Of
General McGlashan to stir the Native
Sons TO q realization of the perils and
ssuferings Of the pioneers, and particu-
1arly the Donner family. the members
. Of the order were oppressed as they
never had been before with glory of
The paths Of their fathers.
The exercises at the base OF the,
monument were conducted under the
1fraa- f,F TD.r,
A barbecue was served under the tama-
racks within sight of the place where
the Murphy cabin Of the Donner camp
was located.
RELICS SOLD BY AUCTION
At the conclusion Of the enormous
woodland meal, DR.. W. c. CHAPMAN.
chairman Of the Donner monument
committee Of the Native Sons. auc-
. Ssoned of relics of the Murphy cabin,
which were sealed in small bottles
and authenticated by the SIGNATURES
OF the surviving members of the party
present. ]. Emmett Hayden of San
francisco secured the first relic sold
Tor $50 Congressman Joseph r. Know
land secured the second for s25. and
H. c. Pasquale the third for $50. Other
pieces were sold for 81 each, and about
$500 was netted for the monument
1und The fund is now nearly S35OO.
The cornerstone which was laid to-
day was inscribed thus: This stone
marks the site OF the Donner party
cabins, where a monument will be
erected under the auspices of the n. s
@. W. TO the pioneers who crossed the
splains." 1t is on the site Of the Breen
cabin.
SPEECH OF KNOWLAND
:. Frank NJ. Rutherford. president of
. Jhe'DOnner parlor. presided and intro
-dUced Congressman Knowland, past
gran dpresident of the Native Sons
who delivered the principal address.
. In part Knowland said:
We meet today upon historic
80. ground, and the event that brings
Us here is one Of more than or
binary significance. The occasion
itself and the grandeur of the sur
rounding scenery should furnish
ample inspiration. Before us are
the world famed Sierra Nevada
mountains clothed in the beautiful
.garb OF early summer, although
streaked with patches of white.
the cast OF habiiments of Winer
These patches of snow are remind
efs or that season of the year
when this locality was the scene of
heart rendlng ira gedy which the
history OF the Donner party un-
No Californian can read the
story OF that famous emigraut
B. party without experiencing a feel
ing OF resentment that this great
state has failed up TO the present
time to erect some suitable nlonu-
menr IN memory Of these brace
men, women and children. whose
acts Of heroic sacrifice illuminate
the pages Of this commonwealth
history
-ATONE1IENT FOR NEGLECT
After the lapse Of Ga years the
Native. Sons Of California gather
- upon this OCCASION 10 atone for the
past neglet Of their state by laying
the cornerstone for such monu-
ment.
~. Our action today is the first step
b, toward the fulhllment to an obli-
= cation we took upon ourselves a
. ~ urnber oE years ago, when we be-
gan the collection of funds for the
p: erection here OF a suitable monu-
= ment- In carrying out one of the
- cnlet purposes Of our fraternity
= that Of perpetuatng in the minds
Of all native Californians the mem
= ories Of the days Of '49-we have
. in the past expended large sums of
!. money and devoted much time and
J. energy, but our achievements have
. more than repaid our efforts and
won for the order the praise of the
people Of California.
-. CALL OF THE WEST HEARD
= John W. Marshall had not picked
UP at Suffers mill the few particles
d. OF yellow metal that later turned
the steps Of thousands westward
It was, therefore, not the lure of
gold that attracted the members of
this party and caused them to haz-
ard their lives on such a periIous
journey.
What were the motives that i'm
PEELED these 80 men, women and
children TO undertake such pill
grimage2 IT was that irresistible
call Of the west, that spirit of ad-
venture. that desire to seek for
tunes in new lands that has pos
sessed the peoples Of the whole
world for generations and resulted
in the building up of empires.
When this party set out Cali
fornia was q Mexican possession.
for Sloat had not yet raised the
American flag at Monterey, but
these people unquestionably read
the signs Of the times and felt con-
hdent that with the westward
march Of civilization and progress
II would be only a question of time
when the protesting folds of old
glory would wave over California.
and this confidence spurred them
on
TRIBUTE TO DEAD HEROES
There We're many heroes among
those men. women and children,
and some Of them we are fortunate
in having with US today. Let the
monument here to be erected as
Californias tribute to their sacred
memories. May it likewise stand
as fitting and enduring monu-
Inent 10 ali those sainted pioneer
mothers and fathers Of this COM