Many towns along the Lincoln Highway woke up to severe weather today, including snow and wind in the East and Midwest.
The image above shows cars struggling to climb snowy Donner Summit about 1930. This was of course where the Donner party of emigrants got caught in the early snows of early November 1846. An excellent recounting of their story that puts the reader there is The Donner Party Chronicles: A Day-by-Day Account of a Doomed Wagon Train, 1846-47 by Frank Mullen Jr. The well-researched book makes it simple and intriguing to follow their journey through the use of maps, diary excerpts, images of artifacts, modern photography, and archaeological debates.
While it will only be the 20s the next few days where I am in PA, it’s will reach the 50s in Truckee, the area where many from the Donner party camped to wait out the winter. You can check my web site’s LH Weather page to see conditions at a dozen locales from coast to coast.
Lincoln Highway News 