May 12, 1846 On this day in 1846, the Donner and Reed families departed from Independence, Missouri, the beginning of the California Trail. The day prior, Tamsen Donner wrote a letter to her sister saying “this season We go to California…It is a four months trip. We have three waggons furnished with food & clothing &c. drawn by three yoke of oxen each...I am willing to go & have no doubt it will be an advantage to our children & to us.” Two thousand miles were ahead until their destination of Sutter’s Fort. They joined a large wagon train captained by Col. William H. Russell consisting of dozens of wagons and families. It was not until July 19, 1846 when a group of American immigrants decided to venture away from the established trail to take a new route called Hastings Cutoff, which was promoted by Lansford Hastings in his guidebook, “The Emigrants’ Guide to Oregon and California.” The group then elected George Donner as their captain, thus creating the Donner Party. Illustration ...