Donner Pass
Donner Pass in the 1870s
Elevation	7,085 ft. / 2,160 m
Location	California,  United States
Range	Sierra Nevada
Traversed by	Lincoln Highway US 40 (until 1964) SP Railroad (until 1994) I-80 (Indirectly, See below)

Donner Pass (el. 7,085 ft. / 2,160 m.) is a high mountain pass in the northern Sierra Nevada, located above Donner Lake about nine miles West of Truckee, California. It is a narrow pass with a very steep approach from the east, and a gradual approach from the west. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1400x995, 973 KB)Donner Lake Pass in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. ... A topographical summit is a point on a surface which is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Himalaya as seen from the International Space Station A mountain range is a group of mountains bordered by lowlands or separated from other mountain ranges by passes or rivers. ... This article is about the mountain range in the Western United States. ... Lincoln Highway bridge in Tama, Iowa The Lincoln Highway was the first transcontinental highway in the United States. ... This U.S. Highway article needs to be cleaned up to conform to both a higher standard of article quality and accepted design standards outlined in the WikiProject U.S. Highways. ... The Southern Pacific Railroad (AAR reporting marks SP) was an American railroad. ... Interstate 80 (abbreviated I-80) is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States. ... Donner Pass (el. ... In a range of hills, or especially of mountains, a pass (also gap, notch, col, saddle, bwlch or bealach) is a lower point that allows easier access through the range. ... This article is about the mountain range in the Western United States. ... Donner Lake is a freshwater lake quite smaller than nearby Lake Tahoe. ... A cabin in Truckee. ...

To reach Donner Pass from the East, pioneer emigrants to California had to travel across the Nevada desert, and this route was normally avoided in favor of the Santa Fe Trail. Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... This article or section needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... Trail logo The Santa Fe Trail was a historic 19th century transportation route across southwestern North America connecting Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. ...

In the winter of 1846–1847, the Donner Party was trapped by snowstorms, and members were forced to endure such great hunger that animal hides was the only nutritional sustenance available to the party. Of the 83 people who were trapped east of the Pass, only 45 survived to reach California, and some of them resorted to cannibalism to survive. ^[1] The Donner Party Memorial at Donner Memorial State Park. ...

In 1913, the Lincoln Highway, the first road across America, was routed over Donner Pass. Lincoln Highway bridge in Tama, Iowa The Lincoln Highway was the first transcontinental highway in the United States. ...

On January 13, 1952, another group became stranded about seventeen miles west of Donner pass at Yuba Pass on Track #2 adjacent to Tunnel 35 (Track #1) at about MP 176.5. Southern Pacific's passenger train "City of San Francisco" was en route westbound through the gap when a raging blizzard slowed the train to a halt. The passengers and crew were stranded for six days until help could arrive. ^[2]

The CPRR & Donner Pass

CPRR Engineers L.M. Clement & T.D. Judah: "iron road" conquerors of Donner Pass and the Sierras.

After almost five years of sustained construction effort, in the late Spring of 1868 the Central Pacific Railroad finally "conquered" the Sierra Nevada Mountains with the successful completion at Donner Pass of its 1,659-foot (506 m) Tunnel #6 (aka "The Summit Tunnel") thus permitting the mass transportation of passengers and freight over the Sierra range for the first time. Following a route first surveyed and proposed by the CPRR's original Chief Engineer, Theodore D. Judah (1826-1863), the construction of the four tunnels, several miles of showsheds, and two "Chinese Walls" necessary to breach Donner Summit constituted by far the most difficult challenge of the entire original Sacramento to Ogden CPRR route. Principally designed and built under the personal, often on-site direction of the CPRR's Chief Assistant Engineer, Lewis M. Clement (1837-1914), the original (Track #1) summit grade remained in continuous daily use from June 18, 1868, when the first CPRR passenger train ran through the Summit Tunnel, until 1993 when the Southern Pacific Railroad (which operated the CPRR-built Oakland-Ogden line until its 1996 merger with the Union Pacific Railroad) abandoned and pulled up the 6.7 mile (10.7 km) section of Track #1 over the summit running between Shed #41 at Norden (MP 192.1) and the covered crossovers in Shed #47 (MP 198.8) located about a mile East of the old flyover at Eder. Since then all East and Westbound traffic has been run over the Track #2 grade crossing the summit about one mile South of Donner Pass through the 10,322-foot (3,146 m) long Tunnel #41 (aka "The Big Hole") running under Mt. Judah between Soda Springs and Eder. Then operator SPRR made this change because the railroad considered Track #2 and Tunnel #41 (which was opened in 1925 when the summit section of the grade was finally double tracked) to be far easier and less expensive to maintain and keep open in the harsh Sierra winters than the Track #1 tunnels and snow sheds over the summit.[1] Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... 1868 (MDCCCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... The Gov. ... The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range that is mostly in eastern California. ... A taxi serving as a bus Public transport comprises all transport systems in which the passengers do not travel in their own vehicles. ... Theodore Judah, architect of the Transcontinental Railroad and first chief engineer of the Central Pacific. ... The oldest surviving photograph, Nicéphore Niépce, circa 1826 1826 (MDCCCXXVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Sacramento is a Spanish- and Portuguese-language word meaning sacrament; it is a common toponym in parts of the world where those tongues were or are spoken. ... Ogden sign over Washington Boulevard at the Ogden River; toward downtown Overlooking Ogdens George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park Ogden is the county seat of Weber County,GR6 Utah, United States. ... Queen Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom (1837 - 1901) 1837 (MDCCCXXXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1868 (MDCCCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... The Southern Pacific Railroad (AAR reporting marks SP) was an American railroad. ... Oakland is the name of several places in the United States of America: Oakland, Alabama Oakland, California (The best-known city with this name) Oakland, Florida Oakland, Maine Oakland, Maryland Oakland, Michigan Oakland, Missouri Oakland, Nebraska Oakland, New Jersey Oakland, Oklahoma Oakland, Oregon Oakland, Pennsylvania Oakland, Rhode Island Oakland, Tennessee... Ogden sign over Washington Boulevard at the Ogden River; toward downtown Overlooking Ogdens George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park Ogden is the county seat of Weber County,GR6 Utah, United States. ... The Union Pacific Railroad (AAR reporting marks UP) (NYSE: UNP) is the largest railroad network in the United States. ... Overpass in East Potomac Park, Washington, D.C. Flyover in Miami Beach, Florida An overpass (In UK, most Commonwealth countries flyover) is a bridge, road or similar structure that crosses over another road. ... 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar). ... The Big Hill on the Canadian Pacific Railway main line passes through a timber snow shed. ...

Donner Lake (left) and the now abandoned original CPRR (later SPRR; UPRR) Track #1 grade over Donner Pass. The original 1913 alignment of the Lincoln Highway can be seen climbing the pass, to the left of the railroad bed and tunnel. (2003)

In conjunction with major ongoing upgrades and expansions being made to the Port of Oakland in order to better accommodate the rapidly growing North American trade with Asia and the Pacific, the cooperation of the UPRR, the Port's principal rail partner, has been sought to "construct a second track and raise tunnel clearances over Donner Pass for container trains linking California with the rest of the country."[2] To accomplish this objective would likely require the UP to either drive a second parallel tunnel next to Tunnel #41, or to restore and reopen the summit section of Track #1 between Sheds #41 and #47. Either infrastructure upgrade would increase the route's overall capacity, considerably simplify traffic management, and effectively eliminate delays currently caused by having to run all east and west bound traffic between Norden and Eder over a single track. [To fully eliminate the grade's "bottleneck" delays the now single track 7.1 mile section between Switch #9 (MP 171.9) and Shed #10 (MP 179.0) just west of Cisco would likely also have to be restored to double track.] Increasing tunnel and snow shed clearances on the Sierra grade would also permit the use of double-stacked container cars which now can only be run via the UP's Feather River grade.[3] It is not yet clear, however, when (or if) any of these proposed major infrastructure upgrades might become a reality. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Lincoln Highway bridge in Tama, Iowa The Lincoln Highway was the first transcontinental highway in the United States. ... The Port of Oakland was the first major port on the Pacific Coast of the United States to build terminals for container ships. ... An intermodal train carrying both shipping containers and highway semi-trailers in piggyback service, on flatcars, passes through the Cajon Pass in February, 1995. ... This article treats the river in California. ...

Highways

The historic Lincoln Highway, the first road across America (later U.S. Route 40 and now named Donner Pass Road), crosses Donner Pass. Interstate 80 was constructed through this area in 1964. While I-80 generally parallels the old route of US 40 through the Sierra Nevada, I-80 crosses the Sierra crest at the Euer Saddle, approximately two miles to the north of Donner Pass. Euer Saddle is also commonly called Donner Summit. Euer Saddle is slightly higher than the Donner Pass (7240 ft/2206 m), but it is much wider and has a slightly more gentle approach that aided construction to Interstate Highway standards, which does not allow for the switchbacks used by Donner Pass Road to approach the crest. The original concrete highway has been preserved as a scenic alternative to I-80. Lincoln Highway bridge in Tama, Iowa The Lincoln Highway was the first transcontinental highway in the United States. ... This U.S. Highway article needs to be cleaned up to conform to both a higher standard of article quality and accepted design standards outlined in the WikiProject U.S. Highways. ... Interstate 80 (abbreviated I-80) is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) defines standards for Interstate Highways in their publication A Policy on Design Standards - Interstate System. ... Road D2204 ascends to the Col de Brauss using hairpin bends in Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur in the French Alps. ...

Approaching Donner Pass from the east on Lincoln Highway / old US 40, April 2007 (Robert E. Nylund)

Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2304 × 1728 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2304 × 1728 pixel, file size: 1. ...

Weather

Winter weather in Donner Pass can be brutal. Precipitation averages 54 inches (137 cm), most of which falls as snow. At 415 inches (10.5 m) per year, Donner Pass is one of the snowiest places in the United States. To take advantage of the heavy snows, the Boreal Ski Resort was built to the north. Ski resorts in the Lake Tahoe area report an average of 300 to 500 inches (7.6 to 12.7 meters) of snowfall per season.^[3] Winds in the pass can also become extreme and 100+ mph (160 km/h) wind gusts are common during winter storms. Winter temperatures in the area drop below zero several times each year; the all-time record low for California of -45°F was recorded at the Boca Reservoir (east of Truckee) in January 1937. Weather is a term that encompasses phenomena in the atmosphere of a planet. ... An inch (plural: inches; symbol or abbreviation: in or, sometimes, ″ - a double prime) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... Tahoe redirects here. ... Miles per hour is a unit of speed, expressing the number of international miles covered per hour. ... Kilometre per hour (American spelling: kilometer per hour) is a unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector). ... A typical view of a winter storm. ...

The winter of 1846-47 was especially severe, and this is generally cited as the single most important factor in the disaster of the Donner Party.

Notes

1. ^ http://www.donnerpartydiary.com/survivor.htm
2. ^ Central Pacific Railroad Museum: http://cprr.org/Museum/Stranded_Streamliner_1952/index.html
3. ^ http://www.micmacmedia.com/Weather/Sierra_Snowfall/sierra_snowfall.html

References

• Central Pacific Railroad Museum, [4]

External links

• Sierra Grade Exhibit - Donner Pass (Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum)
• 360º QTVR Panorama #1 Above Tunnel #6 (Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum)
• 360º QTVR Panorama #2 Above Tunnel #7 (Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum)
• Southern Pacific's "City of San Francisco" Stranded - 1952 (Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum)

Coordinates: 39°18′57″N, 120°19′17″W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...

Popular Culture

Albert Bierstadt painting "View of Donner Lake" (1871-72).[5] Albert Bierstadt, by Napoleon Sarony. ...