What evidence do you have that there was an association of Springfield rifles and the Donner Party, especially as a business?
If not riffles. What were they selling then? Somebody placed that order? Really it's pretty much conjecture. Your talking like 175 years ago. I just find it awful suspicious that settlers were headed hear in 1846 without any knowledge of the Gold situation.
Hard to believe some of that crew wouldn't of stayed and picked up the gold?? Crazed Indians are part of that story though.
I'm in your camp. Anyone who thinks there is a lot of game in the high mountains during the winter hasn't spent much time traveling them then.
I know a guy that detects near old springs that travelers would stop at in Nevada.Pretty much everybody from Northern California has heard of "the Donner Party" . Arrived in California from a Wagon Train in 1846-1847, that got stuck in the mountains . I have reason to believe the "official story" may not be as quite as accurate as the "story" goes.
Could there be lost diggings burried around Truckee California?
The Official Story According to Wikpedia
Donner Party - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
It may not be. But why fixate on the Donner Party? You've bounced from foreign gold to Springfield rifles to nuggets. There were thousands of people and hundreds of wagon trains that made that journey. It seems like the only reason the Donner Party is involved in the treasure tales is because of their notoriety. I don't deny that there is a buried cache or two--or more in the mountains. But I've seen zero evidence that there is cache shrouded in mystery surrounding all the drama. And even if there was, people survived the winter. Wouldn't they have gone back for it? That last sentence applies to pretty much most of the treasure tales where people supposedly buried gold in dire circumstances, got away and survived with the intent of coming back at a later time. It's the third party tales where others talk about someone who found a lot of gold but died in the wilderness before they could get it to the trading post that hold the most weight for me. Why would someone hide gold, then tell people about how they hid gold? And then not go back for it before the bum's rush begins?
I Dunno?
A couple of centuries ago, there were no roads or trails, no detailed maps, and no GPS. I've done a lot of hiking in wilderness areas, and it would be really easy to find something, really make an effort to remember landmarks, positions and distances -- and yet still not be able to find it upon returning. The less visible landmarks, the harder it would be. Even the carvings on rocks and trees assumes you can find the rocks and trees.
It seems odd to me that if they went out there searching for gold, when they supposedly had $10,000 already on them. in 1840, $10,000 was a fortune (equivalent to about $370,000 today). That's a lot of walking around money.
When I get my River Gold nuggets I am going to put it in my mason jar.
Doesn't that kinda presume that there are others here who believe that the Donner Party was running guns?
If you get your river gold nuggets, you're panning for gold. If you dig up someone else's buried gold you're discovering a cache and making us all envious.
If you're talking about the "Buried Treasure Found" article, it was originally published in the The Semi-Weekly New Era Lancaster, Pennsylvania • Sat, May 23, 1891 Page 3. Now granted, this does provide some support for your belief that the Donners may have buried coins when they were stranded. But that article is still fairly tenuous, and if taken at face value my guess would be that old man Reynolds found it. If you're really serious about this, I'd suggest following the only real clue found within it: The reference to "Mrs. Graves". At the top of the list I would try to determine if she is credible, or if she is a dingbat.
It was probably just a general interest piece to help sell newspapers. If the coins were found just north of Donner Lake, from what I understand from maps on the "Donner Party" they never even camped at that location?
Well this is quite a reversal, isn't it? We start with the Donner Party hiding a treasure, then running guns and the treasure you mentioned is perfectly described in the article you posted and all of a sudden it's just a random treasure from who knows where? What am I missing here?
Nothing, Who knows? It May be Donner Gold? And the Reported Route is Wrong? To tell you the Truth, I am not that interested. Since it is doubtfull anything known about the Donner Party would produce gold so. I would make more money on opening a Welding Business. Mostly working on that. I have no time for Donners.
Really?
