A Comparative study of the meadow locale at Alder Creek and the Murphy Cabin at Donner Lake: Using the historical and the archaeological record to create a new Donner memory
Year: 2004
Type: dissertation
Abstract: A Comparative Study of the Meadow Locale at Alder Creek and the Murphy Cabin at Donner Lake: Using the Historical and the Archaeological Records to Create a New Donner MemoryThe tragic story of the Donner Party, a group of 81 emigrants traveling West for a new life in California, has been told by many people.Unfortunately, there is little archaeological data pertaining to the Donner Party.The collective memories of the Party's survivors and the archaeological record have proved the location of one of the Donner Party encampments at Donner Lake, called the Murphy Cabin site.There has been much controversy, however, over the location of the actual encampment of the Donner family.A strong argument has been made for the Donner family's encampment in relation to archaeological evidence, in an area referred to as the "Meadow Locale" at Alder Creek, six miles northeast of Donner Lake (Hardesty 1997).More definitive conclusions may be developed to prove the Meadow Locale's status as the Donner family's camp by conducting an analysis of the archaeological record.For example, a comparison of the artifacts between the Murphy Cabin site, and the Alder Creek site, may help solve this controversy.This thesis compares archaeological materials from the Alder Creek site, the Murphy Cabin site, and a handful of "control" sites to determine the Meadow locale's validity as an encampment associated with the Donner family.I will then demonstrate how the synthesis of historical texts and the archaeological record, supports the argument that the "Meadow Locale" is, indeed, the site where the Donner family camped.
Source: The Mathematics Enthusiast
Author: Jack C. McShane
Language: English
Subfield: Anthropology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2466920776