eral musical instruments, and many excellent voices, were in the
party, and the kindliest feeling and goodfellowship prevailed among the
members.

"The formation of the company known as the Donner Party was purely
accidental. The union of so many emigrants into one train was not
occasioned by any preconcerted arrangement. Many composing the Donner
Party were not aware, at the outset, that such a tide of emigration was
sweeping to California. In many instances small parties would hear
of the mammoth train just ahead of them or just behind them, and by
hastening their pace, or halting for a few days, joined themselves to
the party. Many were with the train during a portion of the journey, but
from some cause or other became parted from the Donner company before
reaching Donner Lake. Soon after the train left Independence it
contained between two and three hundred wagons, and when in motion was
two miles in length. The members of the party proper numbered ninety."

This caravan, like many others of the great assemblage westbound at that
time, had great extremes in personnel. Some were out for mere adventure;
some were single men looking for a location. Most of them were fathers
of families, among them several persons of considerable means and of
good standing in the community which they were leaving. While we may
suppose that most of them were folk of no extraordinary sort, certainly
some were persons of education and intelligence. Among these was the
wife of George Donner--Tamsen Dormer; a woman of education, a musician,
a linguist, a botanist, and of the most sublime heroism.

Tamsen Donner sent back now and then along the route some story of the
daily doings of the caravan; and such letters as these are of the utmost
interest to any who desire precise information of that time. It would
seem that the emigrants themselves for a great part of their route met
with no great adventures, nor indeed, appeared to be undertaking any
unusual affair. They followed a route up the Platte Valley already long
known to those of the eastern settlements.

"Near the Junction of the North and South Platte, June 16, 1846.

"My Old Friend: We are now on the Platte, two hundred miles from Fort
Laramie. Our journey so far has been pleasant, the roads have been good,
and food plentiful. The water for part of the way has been indifferent,
but at no time have our cattle suffered for it. Wood is now very scarce,
but 'buffalo chips' are excellen