COLUMN: A few Donner details

With all due respect to Cliff Harris’s 3/11/13 “The Donner Party: The Real Story,” no mention is made about the “party” splitting in half, with one half camping at what is now called Donne Lake (Truckee, Calif.) and the other half camping at what is now called Prosser Creek (Lake).

I lived very near to one and recreated at both for nearly 20 years.

Aside from the above, the “party” nearly had to traverse the Reno/Sparks area (elev. 4,400 feet) to get to Donner Lake (elev. 5,935 feet, not 4,500). A 1,435-foot increase can make a world of difference in snow depth and hardships, even today.

With that being said, thanks to Cliff for bringing back a thousand wonderful memories!

ED BALNIS