# @suttersfortshp on TikTok

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.tiktok.com/@suttersfortshp/video/7475566589044100382
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/76080090-suttersfortshp-tiktok
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/7540ae606c.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-02-26T03:36:49.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Sutter’s Fort SHP (@suttersfortshp) — https://gondola.cc/suttersfortshp

## Caption

A small doll with a remarkable story is one of the most popular items in the Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park collection. Often referred to 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 families who elected to take a supposedly shorter route to California that diverted from the overland trail. 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 Sierras, Patty found comfort having her doll by her side. The Donner Party was eventually rescued by men from Sutter’s Fort and the surrounding area in February 1847. Patty Reed survived, but sadly, half of the Donner Party perished in the ordeal. Patty Reed collected all things California history during her life, especially Donner Party materials. In 1946, her family donated her collection to Sutter’s Fort. Patty Reed’s doll was exhibited continuously at Sutter’s Fort for almost 75 years, except for a short period when it was on display at the Smithsonian Museum of American History in the early 1990s. Over time, the delicate object began to deteriorate—dress fabric wore thin, wooden body splintered, and delicate painted features eroded. In 2013, a conservator stabilized the doll’s condition and recommended that it no longer be on exhibit. In 2019 and 2020, when Dolly underwent additional conservation, State Parks staff made the difficult decision to remove the doll from public display to save it from further disintegration. Dolly now rests in a climate-controlled collections facility so that she may exist for many years, and many generations to come. In this video, California State Parks staff discuss the history of Dolly and their work to preserve this small but significant piece of history. #suttersfort #donnerparty #sacramento #californiahistory #history #museum #sactiktok #museumtok 

## Stats

- **Views:** 2,401
- **Likes:** 111
- **Shares:** 8
- **Comments:** 3

## Credits

No public credits are recorded here. This does not identify who made the post.

## Tags

sactiktok, history, sacramento, museumtok, californiahistory, donnerparty, suttersfort, museum

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