Aug 6, 2012 - Alcove Springs was a stop along the Oregon Trail / California Trail near - Blue Rapids, Kansas. Discovered in 1846 when the Donner party were delayed by high waters on the Blue River. From here, the Trail left the Kansas River and crossed the higher ground between the Kansas River and Soldier Creek. The Center is operated by the Oregon California Trails Association, and has extensive exhibits about the Santa Fe, California and Oregon Trails and the early emigrants. The funeral took place this evening at 2 O’clock which was attended by every member of our Company. it was discovered in 1846 when the Donner party were delayed by high waters on the Blue River. King went so far as to suggest that some entries may have been written after Reed arrived in California, which seems unlikely. Apparently neither Virginia nor Patty revealed the diary to McGlashan. And then she took a photo of me standing next to Alcove Spring. Across the road from the Alcove Springs park is another park commemorating the Oregon Trail and features history, wagon swales and a D.A.R. The Donner party named Alcove Springs. Across the road from the Alcove Springs park is another park commemorating the Oregon Trail and features history, wagon swales and a D.A.R. The band will play at Alcove Spring Historic Park, a 246-acre largely undeveloped park. For me, the falls were not worth the visit but the history of the place was definitely interesting. I was eventually joined at Alcove Spring by a retired historian from nearby Marysville, Kansas. [This was near present Big Spring, Kansas. Travelers along the trail gave the springs its name. The several creeks were all flowing well and the cascading waterfall at the spring was absolutely beautiful and rather loud. marker memorializing Sarah Keyes, a member of the Donner Party who died in 1846. Miller’s terse notations resume: thirty first day wee Crossed over the Big Blue and Camped. The early writers on the Donner party often referred to this grave as being near Manhattan, and in the Kansas City (Mo.) They named the campsite "Alcove Spring" and the men set about building a raft to ferry the wagons across. Six miles northwest is Alcove Springs, named in 1846 by appreciative travelers on the Oregon Trail who carved the name on the surrounding rocks and trees. The Donner Party camped at … Alcove Springs was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. Virginia apparently did not use it as a source for her Century Magazine article in 1891. The Santa Fe Trail crossed the Blue River and ascended a steep hill. Dated May 26, exactly 163 years ago to the day! Virginia Reed’s father James was said to have carved his initials at Alcove Spring. ], 19 and from their wee Crossed the Cau river and went about five miles and Camped. The entrance to the Park is on East River Road, a well maintained gravel road that runs approximately parallel with U. S. Highway 77 … Meanwhile, back at the Missouri River, the Graves family set out with the last party on the Trail, the Smith Party, as described by William Graves in his 1877 article in the Russian River Flag: 26 and from their traveled a Bowt 10 miles and Camped on the Big Blue and Remained their the 27 and the twenty Eighth and twenty-ninth and thirtyeth [This camp was north of present Blue Rapids, Kansas, south of Marysville which later was a Pony Express stop.]. The bank of this stream on the eastern side was so steep, and the ford in other respects so difficult, that we were detained several hours in crossing it. The great Tuttle Creek Reservoir at full pool level extends along the Big Blue from Independence Crossing southward nearly to Manhattan. The ill-fated Donner Party camped at Alcove Spring from May 26 to May 31 1846, waiting for the Blue River to go down so that they could safely cross at nearby Independence Crossing. Utah-bound Mormons and California-bound goldseekers followed, for only a short distance above was Independence Crossing, the famous ford across the Big Blue river. Located on the old Oregon-California Trail, this historic site was the stopping place for many wagon trains, including the famed Donner Party. We named this the Alcove Spring; and future travelers will find the name graven on the rocks, and on the trunks of the trees surrounding it. The exact location of her burial is unknown. It was at Alcove Springs that the Donner party suffered their first loss. Alcove Springs was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. One described the Springs as "a beautiful cascade of water . One of the remaining marks of the passage of the Donner Party is a rock where James Reed carved his initials, and dated 26 May 1846. The great Tuttle Creek Reservoir at full pool level extends along the Big Blue from Independence Crossing southward nearly to Manhattan. The dated entries below are from the diary of Hiram Miller and James F. Reed. The Diary is controversial to some historians. Bryant describes the difficulties of travel: This technique would be essential for the Party’s later crossing of the Wasatch and the Sierra. ... including the legendary Donner-Reed party. We stopped by Alcove Springs during a Sunday road trip. The pioneers named this area Alcove Spring, and many carved their initials in the surrounding rocks. This letter is in the collection of the James Keyes papers of the Illinois State Historical Library, Springfield, Illinois, and is excerpted here with their permission. Utah-bound Mormons and California-bound goldseekers followed, for only a short distance above was Independence Crossing, the famous ford across the Big Blue river. The Donner party, most of whom later froze or starved in the Sierras, buried its first member, Sarah Keyes, near the Springs in 1846. Both Fremont and Carson stayed there for about a week during 1842. His description is as follows: His description is as follows: "About three-fourths of a mile from our camp we found a large spring of water, as cold and pure as if it had just been melted from ice. The trail to the spring itself is less than 1/4 mile and an easy walk. John C. Fremont and his 1842 exploring expedition camped at Alcove Spring and Marcus Whitman led a thousand emigrants to Oregon who stopped at the Spring in 1843. The Donner… | California trail, Oregon trail pioneers, Oregon trail. In the tall grass prairie the Alcove Spring trails preserve the California and Oregon trail stop in much the same condition as it was in 1842 when members of the Donner party named the spring. The party waited for the Big Blue to fall, and took the time to conduct some democracy. The Russell Company camped on the shores of the Big Blue River which, like the Kansas River, was swollen from the recent rainstorms. The exact location of her burial is unknown. Alcove Spring and Waterfall are located near Independence Crossing, a famous ford where pioneer wagons following the Oregon Trail forded the Big Blue River. Utah bound Mormons and California bound gold seekers followed, including the Donner Party, most of whom later froze or starved in the Sierras. Situated in around 300 acres there are still around 5 miles of trails not documented but can be found on the maps at the entrance. On this day Bryant commented on the progress of the wagons with surprising prescience: 25 and from their wee traveled a Bout 10 miles and came to the Big Vermilion and Crossed and traveled a Bout 5 miles and Camped on the plaines [This crossing is near present Frankfort on the Black Vermillion as it is now called.]. Tamsen Donner, wife of George Donner, wrote from Independence to her sister Eliza Poor: Contemporary accounts place the actual number of wagons as about 250, with about 1,500 people, headed for both California and Oregon. Flickr photos, groups, and tags related to the "alcovesprings" Flickr tag. The following document was found in the Reed papers donated to Sutter’s Fort Museum in 1945: Stanton would, in fact, become a significant protector to the Donner Party. During my research I’d seen old photos of this carving, but I didn’t expect to find it myself because I’d read the rock had deteriorated since those photos had been taken. It is located about four miles north of Blue Rapids. The Donner Party (sometimes called the Donner–Reed Party) was a group of American pioneers who migrated to California in a wagon train from the Midwest.Delayed by a series of mishaps, they spent the winter of 1846–1847 snowbound in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. John C. Fremont and his 1842 exploring expedition bivouacked at the Springs, and Marcus Whitman, with a thousand emigrants to Oregon, stopped there in 1843. I followed the company’s general direction up Kansas-99, across Kansas-9 and up US Route 77 to the Big Blue River Crossing (now known as Independence Crossing). It was widely circulated that members of the party resorted to cannibalism after their food ran out, giving the party its lasting notoriety. The Donner party named Alcove Springs. Most of the emigrants who later became members of the Donner Party also traveled with this group. According to Hill, the grave is near the old parking lot entrance to Alcove Spring, but is unmarked today. It was a stop on a route used by travelers on both the Oregon and California trails in the mid-19th century—including the ill-fated 1846 Donner party that later became snowbound in the Sierra Nevada mountain range with tragic results. The group was named for the expedition’s captain, George Donner. marker memorializing Sarah Keyes, a member of the Donner Party who died in 1846. On July 12, 1846, twelve year old Virginia Reed wrote to her cousin Mary C. Keyes about the events leading up to this day: In her 1891 memoirs, a much older Virginia recounted the events: From Katherine Wakeman Cooper’s article Patty Reed in Overland Monthly, January-June 1917: Virginia was right about the assistance of the other emigrants. Once on the other side of the Kansas River, the Donner and Reed families joined up with the much larger Russell Company, which was made up of at least 72 wagons and more than 300 travelers. Occasionally they would relax and picnic near a calming waterfall at a nearby spring. The 70 year-old Keyes, … altogether one of the most romantic spots I ever saw." marker memorializing Sarah Keyes, a member of the Donner Party who died in 1846. On April 15, 1846 the families of James Fraser Reed and George and Jacob Donner, comprising 31 people in 9 wagons, left Springfield, Illinois for California. The early writers on the Donner party often referred to this grave as being near Manhattan, and in the Kansas City (Mo.) Bryant described the crossing of the Kansas River: Virginia Reed remembered the crossing in her 1891 memoirs: Grandma Keyes had told Virginia Reed stories about an aunt who had been kidnapped by Indians from the early settlement of Virginia and Kentucky and held captive five years. Independence is the site of the National Frontier Trails Center, just north of the Santa Fe Trail Park. Pony Express Barn & Museum; Marshall County Historical; Blue River Rail Trail; Marysville Sod House; Black Squirrels on Parade; Marysville Public library; 7r's bar and grill; Natur & Parks in Blue Rapids. The Center is operated by the Oregon California Trails Association, and has extensive exhibits about the Santa Fe, California and Oregon Trails and the early emigrants. The name was given to the springs by a member of the Donner-Reed Party in 1846, although it was a known place along the trail which fur trappers traversed in the late 1820s and 1830s. On July 2, 1846, after trading their wagons and teams for mules, Bryant, Russell, and seven other men set out by themselves to become the first emigrants to take Hastings Cutoff. (See the photo above, left.) . Alcove Spring (Blue ... a member of the famously doomed Donner-Reed Party. William H. Russell, captain of the company, wrote to the Independence Western Expositor: Our numbers can not even yet be accurately ascertained, in consequence of the irregular manner in which they come in, but they are numerous, and cannot fall short of one hundred wagons. A member of the party, Edwin Bryant, wrote The river has changed course and the site is now in a field. As noted by Miller the Russell party was delayed at the Big Blue. The Kaw was the name for the Kansas River, as in Kaw Drive which runs along the north bank of the Kansas River in Kansas City, Kansas. The spring was named by a member of the Donner Party in 1846. A member of the Donner-Reed party, Edwin Bryant, coined the name Alcove Spring. The fact that so many people had taken the time to carve dates and names into the stones was amazing. On June 2, ex-Governor Boggs wrote a letter to the St. Louis Weekly American, which was carried back by a Shawnee Indian. The Party followed the well worn Santa Fe Trail.]. Alcove Spring Historic Park is on the National Register of Historic Places and considered one of the most significant historic sites on the Oregon Trail in Kansas. The rock is in Alcove Spring, outside Marysville, Kansas. John C. Fremont and his 1842 exploring expedition bivouacked at the Springs, and Marcus Whitman, with a thousand emigrants to Oregon, stopped there in 1843. Miller probably meant Bull Creek. Reading, Responsibility, and Social Media; JCCC Sustainability ROCKS: Why the F*ck is this Behind a Firewall! At least four wagons and numerous oxen were lost … RENO, Nev. (AP) — A pair of backcountry endurance athletes who became obsessed with the Donner Party spent the last seven years researching and exploring the Sierra on … The Donner-Reed Party was the first to use Emigration Canyon (to later become the primary route of Mormon pioneers). Dec 21, 2014 - jf reed of the donner party carved his name in a rock at alcove springs kansas We were lucky to see Alcove Springs after a period of rain. May Left Independence on the 12th went about 4 miles and camped [This is the first entry from Miller’s diary. And it was the deceptive, searing Salt Flats that sealed the party's doom. 8, No. Originally there were 87 members of the Donner party. Alcove Spring Historic Park was also the site of the first recorded death in the Donner Party - 70 year old Sarah H. Keyes, who died from consumption. 18 and from thire wee Camped near the Creek 20 miles from plain Spring. 23 and from their wee traveled 12 miles and Camped on prairie creek, 24 and from their wee traveled a Bout 14 miles and Camped near a Creek on the plains. marker memorializing Sarah Keyes, a member of the Donner Party who died in 1846. Although he makes no note of the camp site, it tremendously impressed John Breen, who wrote of it in his memoirs of 1877: 17 the ’5 night wee Camp on the wapulusa 18 miles from the head of Bull Creek and we Camped on the plains near the a Spring 18 miles from Wapulusa. A 223-acre park offers a self-guided walking tour and interpretive exhibits. The Alcove Springs Trail And Waterfall In Kansas. Edwin Bryant describes his troubles passing the muddy road eight days before the Donners: The Santa Fe Trail traveled up the Blue River from Independence, following the a portion of present Blue Ridge Road in Kansas City, Missouri. It runs over a high undulating country, exhibiting a great variety of rich scenery. She even showed me where the rock had originally been a part of an overhang before breaking off and falling to the bottom of the spring decades ago. Virginia was also right about the grave not being disturbed. The weary pioneers tried to recover from their disastrous trek westward across the Great Salt Lake Desert. Star of Wednesday, June 11, 1930, in an article, "Death Takes the Last Survivor of the Donner Party," the following appears: "On May 29, Grandmother Keyes died and she was buried under a big oak tree where was later the city cemetery of Manhattan." The Donner party, most of whom later froze or starved in the Sierras, buried its first member, Sarah Keyes, near the Springs in 1846. The ill-fated Donner Party camped at Alcove Spring from May 26 to May 31 1846, waiting for the Blue River to go down so that they could safely cross at nearby Independence Crossing. (Am I lucky or what?) Independence is the site of the National Frontier Trails Center, just north of the Santa Fe Trail Park. Onlyinyourstate.com Welcome to the beautiful and tranquil Alcove Springs Trail out in Alcove Spring, Kansas. Some of the entries appear to have been written after the events, which led both Stewart and King to question it. According to Hill, the rock has been defaced since this photo was taken. One member of the Donner Party — Sarah Keys, Margaret Reed’s mother — died here of … Sarah Keyes was a member of the Donner Party, emigrating to California in 1846. The name of the Park comes from the Alcove Spring and Naomi Pike falls both located on the premises and accessible by walking trails. Bryant describes the day’s travel: The trail along which we have traveled to-day, has been dry, compact and easy for our teams. Donner Party - Stone at Alcove Springs, Ks" c1929 photo D1/2/ Donner Party Members -photocopies photo D1/2/ Donner Party -Scenes along Route c 1949, photocopies photo D1/2/ Donner, George photo G3/3 Donner, George Jr. photo G7/4/2075 Donner, George Jr. … The exact location of her burial is unknown. The Donners arrive at Independence, Missouri, as recorded by Tamsen Donner, wife of George Donner, in a letter dated May 11 to her sister Eliza Poor: I came here last evening & start tomorrow morning on the long journey. Alcove Spring, near Marysville, Kansas. The emigrants who would later form the Donner Party traveled with the Russell Party from Independence, Missouri to Alcove Springs in the Indian Territory, in what is now Kansas. On May 29, 1846, Sarah Keyes, a blind and deaf 70-year-old member of the party who had been suffering from what was called … This county was well known to early-day traders and "mountain men" as well as to later travelers to the Far West. The first member of the Donner Party to die was Sarah Keyes, and she did so while they were camped at Alcove Springs. Gewässer in Blue Rapids; Häufig gesucht in Blue Rapids. Alcove Springs was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. 20 and from their we Camp on prairie Creek 8 miles from the Same Creek. The Spring was closed to the public due to such vandalism, but was recently re-opened, as reported by Raoul Delmare. Located on the old Oregon-California Trail, this historic site was the stopping place for many wagon trains, including the famed Donner Party. Bryant describes the crossing: We reached the Vermillion about noon. Donner party, group of American pioneers stranded en route to California in 1846. In fact, it was one of their party, Edwin Bryant, who named the spring Alcove Spring. The Indian line is the present Kansas-Missouri border, which heads south from the junction of the Missouri and Kansas Rivers. Aktivitäten in der Nähe von Alcove Springs. The first mention of the springs was made by travelers of the “Great Migration” in 1843. …. Diary entries of many later travelers remarked on the grave. The newspaper reported that: Two deaths had taken place among the California emigrants - one a small child, the child of Judge Morin, and the other a Mrs. Keys, from Springfield, Ill., quite an aged lady and, had been laboring under consumption. 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