# @sachistorymuseum on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CxqwNiMyz9h
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/76086989-sachistorymuseum-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/fb6b79867e.jpg
- **Posted:** 2023-09-26T20:13:10.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Sacramento History Museum (@sachistorymuseum) — https://gondola.cc/sachistorymuseum

## Caption

September 26, 1846

On this day in 1846, The Donner Party reached the end Hastings Cutoff and rejoined the established California Overland Trail about 7 miles west of present-day Elko, Nevada. Hastings Cutoff was an alternative route promoted by Lansford Hastings in his overland guidebook “The Emigrants’ Guide to Oregon and California,” published in 1845. The cutoff started at Fort Bridger in southwestern Wyoming. From there, the Donner Party traversed through the Wasatch Range, went south of the Great Salt Lake, across the Great Salt Lake Desert (about an 80-mile waterless terrain), looped around the Ruby Mountains, and rejoined the California Trail at Emigrant Pass.

James Reed wrote in a letter while at Fort Bridger on July 31st, just before entering the cutoff, "the route we design to take, is a fine level road, with plenty of water and grass...It is estimated that 700 miles will take us to Capt. Sutter’s Fort, which we hope to make in seven weeks from this day." 

The group spent almost two months traversing the cutoff and following brief suggestions given by Lansford Hastings. Taking the supposed shorter route, Hastings Cutoff added an additional 130 miles onto their journey, traveled slower as the group had to essentially create their path, which put them even more behind schedule and even lower on supplies. The Donner Party reached Truckee Lake, now known as Donner Lake, 35 days later and were greeted by snowfall. 

Map of the California Overland Trail and Hastings Cutoff (over modern state boundaries) courtesy of California State Parks.
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#OnThisDay #TodayInHistory #DonnerParty #californiahistory #sacramentohistory #donner #sacramento #sachistorymuseum

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## Credits

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

## Tags

sacramento, todayinhistory, californiahistory, onthisday, donner, donnerparty, sachistorymuseum, sacramentohistory

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