A small doll with a remarkable story is one of the most famous items in the Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park collection. Known to history as “Dolly,” the under 4-inch-tall doll once belonged to Martha Jane “Patty” Reed. Patty was 8 years old when she and her family left Illinois in the spring of 1846, bound for California. Patty carried Dolly in her apron pocket throughout the journey. Traveling by wagon, her family joined a group of other American immigrants who elected to take a supposedly shorter route to California that diverted from the overland trail known as Hastings Cutoff. This group is known to history as the Donner Party. Because the route took longer than anticipated, the group fell behind and reached Truckee Lake, now known as Donner Lake, on October 31, 1846, where they were greeted by deep snow. Forced to spend the winter in the Sierra, Patty found comfort having her doll by her side. The Donner Party was eventually rescued by men from Sutter’s Fort and Patty Reed arriv...