4385 Loreto Ln, Reno, NV 89502

Donner Party Park

Park Description:

Donner Party Park is a 1-acre Reno park without restrooms.

Park Amenities:

Grassy area and trees.

Park Contact Information:

City of Reno - Parks & Facilities (775) 334-2417

Park Highlights

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Park History

Click the image to read each topic's full text!

The Park and Its Surrounding Neighborhoods

Donner Party Park sits on land that was once part of the Short Ranch, a cattle farm which included what is now the Millcreek and Donner Springs subdivisions, as well as Rattlesnake Mountain.

But the real history of the park goes back further than that, as this area is thought by historians to have been part of the Overland Emigrant Trail, where pioneers veered south away from the Truckee River to avoid what was once marshlands and replenish their fresh water from a nearby spring. A trail marker and monument at the park indicate where emigrant wagons traversed through this area, and in particular, the campsite of the Donner Party in 1846.

Donner Party Park is surrounded by the townhomes of the Millcreek subdivision built in the late 1980s, along with the park. The homes were built by Di Loreto Construction Company, who promised to set aside parkland to preserve the last undeveloped stretch of the emigrant trail. The nearby Donner Springs development was constructed in the mid-1970s by Lewis Homes of Nevada.

Image:
Jill Richardson.

Donner Party

“Upon entering the Truckee Meadows along the Truckee River thousands of California-bound emigrants turned their wagons southwest to avoid extensive marshes and uncrossable sloughs. Here at the base of Rattlesnake Mountain the emigrants established a campground which extended nearly two miles to the east and west, one half mile north and south. Numerous local springs furnished quality water and the protected location of the camp provided an ideal locale for a rest stop after hundreds of grueling miles spent traversing the Humboldt River Valley. Once rested, the emigrants turned west to face their last major obstacle, the Sierra Nevada.

In October of 1846, the ill-fated Donner Party spent five days in this area resting and grazing their weary animals. Plagued by a series of unfortunate incidents one member of the party, William Pike, was accidentally shot, died and was buried in the vicinity.”

--Inscription on the memorial plaque at Donner Party Park.

Image: [Link to History Hunters episode: https://youtu.be/swL9IqEKPTw ]
Source: Used with permission of “History Hunters”.

California Trail Controversy

During the 1980s when the subdivision was being built, debates arose surrounding the historical significance of the park. Some contended that the pioneer wagon ruts found in this area were not from the 1846 Donner Party, but were from later emigrants in the 1850s through 1870s. They believed that the earlier wagon trains travelled further north, perhaps around today’s Vassar Avenue or closer to the Truckee River. Other local historians contended that pioneer diaries and artifacts prove the Donners, as well as other emigrants used this area.

The debate culminated in 2000, when a county judge issued a restraining order against a historical preservation group who sought to move this and two other trail markers, which had been erected 30 years prior.

Since a formal archeological study was not done before the homes were built, we may never know for certain if the Donner Party camped in this exact location, but if not, they were nearby. And most agree that other pioneers who came in subsequent years used the trail as their diaries, artifacts and wagon ruts were found in this area.

Image:
Trail marker. Source: Jill Richardson.

Rattlesnake Mountain

Towering above the park is Rattlesnake Mountain. The mountain was part of the Shorts’ cattle ranch and is still owned by the family. As of 2021, the mountain is for sale! Some of the area on the southeast side of the mountain is property of the Bureau of Land Management.

According to the late Bill Short, the mountain was once called Rattlesnake Hill and was so called because of the snakes that lived on the mountain. But snakes weren’t the only predators on the mountain... three mountain lions were tracked and destroyed on the mountain in 1956 along with evidence of their deer and sheep kills. And the top of the mountain has been the home to an airplane warning beacon, installed by United Air Lines in 1956.

In 1958, the first skiing on artificial snow in the greater Tahoe area was on Rattlesnake Mountain. Several former University of Nevada ski team members set up a high-pressure spray of a water and air mixture to blanket a swatch of snow down the mountain for skiers. A rope tow was used to ferry skiers to the top of the mountain. The fate of the “ski area” was short-lived as the weather was too mild to keep snow and because the organizers could not obtain a lease for the property.

Rattlesnake Mountain is 600 feet tall, with the top of the mountain at an elevation of 5,011 feet. The mountain is over 6 million years old and a remnant of volcanic activity.

To take advantage of this prominent feature of Reno, a developer hatched a plan in the 1970s to shave off the top third of the mountain to build a hotel, casino, and restaurant. Many locals spoke out against the plan and was ultimately rejected due to the hazard it posed for airport’s main runway.

Developers then failed to get approval to remove the top 250 feet of the mountain for its sand and gravel for cement operations.

The Short family also proposed, in the 1990s, to develop a subdivision with over 60 homes. That plan failed, and the mountain has been for sale on and off for many years, with an asking price of up to $5 million at one point.

Today, the mountaintop is home to a fenced-in cellular telephone antenna. Huffaker Hills Trailhead is located off Alexander Lake Road, and was paid for with a parks bond issue in 2000 and dedicated to the public in September 2005.

Image:
[Link to Channel 4 News story on making snow on Rattlesnake Mountain: http://mynews4.com/news/knowing-nevada/knowing-nevada-tahoes-first-snowmaking-operation-was-in-reno] Source: News 4 Reno.

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Donner Party Park on iNaturalist

Contact:

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Want To Learn More?

References & Further Info:

City of Reno Parks & Facilities Directory - Donner Party Park
(1959, May 14). Airplane warning beacon status is under study , p. 19.
American eagle patrol convenes. (1940, January 23). Nevada State Journal , p. 2.
Beacon land offer is made. (1959, May 2). Reno Evening Gazette , p. 16.
Beacon site owner tells his story. (1956, May 18). Reno Evening Gazette , p. 11.
Biederman, E. (1975, November 7). Hilltop Reno hotel proposed. Reno Evening Gazette , p. 1.
Capurro opposes Rattlesnake hotel plan. (1973, June 20). Reno Evening Gazette , p. 5.
Chamber's ski report for Sierra Nevada area. (1959, February 13). Reno Evening Gazette , p. 10.
DeLong, J. (2000, October 20). Bond to fund library and open space. Reno Gazette-Journal , p. 39.
Frank Mullen, J. (1996, October 20). Controversy surrounds pioneers' path. Reno Gazette-Journal , p. 20.
Frank Mullen, J. (2000, September 17). Judge blocks changes to pioneer trail markers. Reno Gazette-Journal , p. 27.
Frank Mullen, J. (2000, September 22). Judge continues ban on changing trail markers. Reno Gazette-Journal , p. 20.
Frank Mullen, J. (1998, June 16). Landmark may sprout homes in future. Reno Gazette-Journal , p. 21.
Frank Mullen, J. (2000, August 28). Pioneer diaries refute group's theories on local history. Reno Gazette-Journal , p. 23.
Galloway, P. (1983, July 28). Bit of Nevada history victim of area growth. Reno Gazette-Journal , p. 33.
Macias, S. (1979, November 26). People pay, but do they care if parks don't materialize. Reno Evening Gazette , p. 23.
Mountain hotel proposal clarified. (1975, November 8). Reno Evening Gazette , p. 15.
Mountain lions destroyed near Reno's city limits. (1956, June 28). Reno Evening Gazette , p. 21.
Nickles, J. (1985, November 13). Council OKs Rattlesnake project. Reno Gazette-Journal , p. 31.
Nickles, J. (1985, October 3). History wins, develoers lose: Panel nixes Rattlesnake project. Reno Gazette-Journal , p. 1C.
Nickles, J. (1985, October 27). Second 'Donner Party' fights developers. Reno Gazette-Journal , p. 61.
Norris, M. (1985, November 30). Rattlesnake Mountain offering: Dig deeply. Reno Gazette-Journal , p. 16.
Obituaries: Carman Temple Short. (2002, October 22). Reno Gazette-Journal , p. 16.
Plan to cut down hill for gravel proposed. (1977, February 7). Reno Evening Gazette , p. 15.
Reed, M. (1973, June 21). Rattlesnake Mountain hotel plans 'not definite'. Reno Evening Gazette , p. 17.
Ski slide blossoms on barren Reno hill. (1958, December 18). Reno Evening Gazette , p. 21.
Tune, H. (2002, January 27). Dispute continues over pioneer trail markers. Reno Gazette-Journal , p. 22.
Voyles, S. (2000, October 20). Plan calls for new skate rink, northwest parks. REno Gazette-Journal , p. 16.
Wagon ruts in Hidden Valley. (2009, August 30). Reno Gazette-Journal , p. 99.
Wagons reach Truckee Meadows. (1996, October 20). Reno Gazette-Journal , p. 25.
White, L. (1972, March 3). Tannenbaum ski slope. Reno Evening Gazette , p. 38.

Contributor(s):

Jill Richardson (history)

Haley McGuire

Alex Shahbazi

Last Updated:

August 26, 2022 at 6:32:02 PM

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