257:). Here, they left six of their eleven wagons because of difficulties getting the wagons over the pass and carried on with the remaining five. At one point they had to unhitch the wagons and haul them up a cliff with makeshift pulleys while the oxen were led through a narrow slot. On November 25 they managed to reach the top of the pass. Three men, Joseph Foster, Allan Montgomery, and Moses Schallenberger, returned to the abandoned wagons with the intent of watching over them until the snow melted. They quickly built a cabin (later used by the Donner Party), but soon realized that it would be very difficult for them to survive the winter. They set out after the party ahead of them on makeshift snowshoes, but after the first day, the youngest, eighteen-year-old Moses Schallenberger realized he could not press on and returned to the wagons. He survived only by trapping
33:
292:
196:, the Murphy family, along with the Martin and Sullivan families, were seeking religious, economic, and political freedoms in the West. The group included James Miller (1814–1890), an Irishman, who would marry Martin Murphy, Sr.'s third daughter and settle at Rancho San Pedro, Santa Margarita y Las Gallinas near
277:
in exchange for promises of land grants. Instead of joining Sutter, Dennis Martin returned to the upper Yuba with supplies for the women and children. Upon learning of the plight of Moses
Schallenberger, twenty-three-year-old Martin set out to cross the snowbound
233:
In the Sierra Nevada they encountered snow and on
November 14, 1844, the party split. Six of the party, Elizabeth Townsend, her servant Francis, Oliver Magnan, and the siblings, Ellen (or Helen), John, and Daniel Murphy, set off on horseback following the
129:, and five years before the 1848–49 Gold Rush. Three other known European exploration crossings of the Sierra Nevada had previously occurred at points south of this however, including Fremont's second expedition the previous winter, at Carson Pass.
226:. This bypass covered a dangerous 40 miles (64 km) without water for livestock, but shortened the common route by 85 miles (137 km) and seven days. This cutoff, later popularized in a guide book, was used heavily by miners heading to the
268:
valley. They set up camp, and, on
December 6, seventeen of the adult men pushed on to find help, while the women, children, and two adult men remained in camp. Most of the men in the advance party were then enticed or coerced to fight with
184:
Dr. John
Townsend, his wife Elizabeth, and her younger brother Moses Schallenberger, were also going west. A man of vision, Townsend wanted a chance at grand adventure and opportunity in California. He would become the first licensed
282:
in mid-winter (February, 1845) to rescue
Schallenberger at Donner Lake. Upon reaching the lake, Martin showed Schallenberger how to construct proper snowshoes and then the two crossed the Sierra successfully to the Central Valley.
138:
319:. A state historic plaque in that city marks the approximate site of his homestead. Stephens died in Bakersfield in 1887. He was buried in Union Cemetery. His gravesite was discovered in 2009 by members of the
368:. Sons John and Daniel struck gold in the Sierra, then made a fortune selling dry goods to local miners and Native Americans. The town they established in the Sierra foothills still bears the family name of
791:
The
Opening of the California Trail: The Story of the Stevens Party from the Reminiscences of Moses Schallenberger as Set down for H. H. Bancroft about 1885, Edited and Expanded by Horace S. Foote in 1888
342:
epidemic in San Jose until they died of it in
December 1850. Elizabeth's younger brother, Moses Schallenberger, settled in Santa Clara county and died in 1909. Schallenberger Elementary School in the
411:
in
November, 1882. Dennis Martin died in June 1890 and was buried at the St. Denis Cemetery (Martin had built his own church) on his former property (then Stanford's).
710:
Pages 100–108, 118, 126, 327–28, "Old
Greenwood", Revised edition, by co-authors Charles Kelly and Dale L. Morgan, The Talisman Press 1965, Georgetown, California.
327:(OCTA) California/Nevada Chapter in cooperation with the Kern County Historical Society (KCHS) installed a historical plaque at the gravesite of Elisha Stephens.
819:
713:
Appendix to "First And Last Consul" by author John A. Hawgood, page 113 (re: Isaac
Hitchcock in CA in 1832) and page 118 (re: Joseph Walker in CA in 1833).
829:
17:
331:
767:
716:
Re: Newly discovered Elisha Stephens' gravesite....Kern Gen Vol 47 No 1 March 2010, published by the Kern County Genealogical Society.
581:
502:
468:"Murphy, Hill and Miller Were Interesting Marin Pioneers". San Anselmo, California: The San Anselmo Herald. July 19, 1934. p. 4.
223:
437:
Irish Families on the California Trail: Pioneers and 49ers from the Earliest Days Including the Gold Rush & San Francisco
435:
324:
264:
The rest of the party, after crossing the pass, continued until snow made it impossible to travel with wagons on the upper
214:, Hitchcock, who had been "trapping and trading" in California in 1832, led the party west from the Big Sandy River to the
531:
407:
subdivision and the Webb Ranch. After financial misfortune and land disputes typical of the era, his lands were bought by
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344:
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had been the first European-American to only view it the previous February). They arrived at the fort on December 10.
633:
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76:
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338:; Townsend Street in San Francisco is named for him. He and his wife, Elizabeth, treated the victims of the 1850
356:
109:. The Stephens Party is significant in California history because they were the first wagon train to cross the
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215:
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The largest family group in the party was headed by Martin Murphy, Sr. His family had 23 members. As Irish
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814:
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quickly and sending back help. They became the first European-Americans to set foot on the shore of
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102:
41:
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Dennis Martin also struck gold in the Sierra and purchased ranch properties from the grantees of
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312:
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532:"Dennis Martin once owned Stanford's backlands, including SLAC, Jasper Ridge, and Webb Ranch"
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John Townsend was California's first licensed physician and was, for a short time in 1848,
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in central California. He was the first non-native settler in what is today the city of
404:
659:"Contact and Directions | School Information | Who We Are | Schallenberger Elementary"
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153:-bound settlers in a train of 40 wagons. Fifty travelers left Iowa; 52 arrived in
771:
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408:
291:
207:
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The rest of the party continued until reaching Truckey's (or Truckee) Lake (now
542:
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was elected captain of the wagon train because he had spent several years as a
719:
808:
335:
235:
114:
110:
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Pen Pictures from the Garden of the World, Or Santa Clara County, California
761:, USDA Forest Service, Tahoe National Forest, Big Bend Visitor Center, 1999
219:
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126:
117:. In 1844, they pioneered the first route at or near what was later named
320:
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Council Bluffs US Indian Subagency before resigning to go to California.
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and Schallenberger Ridge just south of Donner Lake are named for him
304:
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with the Stephens party, as there were two births along the way.
745:
Sierra Trailblazers: First Pioneer Wagons Over the Sierra Nevada
582:"The First Pioneer Wagons Crossed the Sierra Over 160 Years Ago"
503:"The First Pioneer Wagons Crossed the Sierra Over 160 Years Ago"
166:
150:
372:. Helen Murphy, the youngest daughter of Martin Sr., married
726:"Emigrants and extinction: Wildlife impacted by settlement"
94:
433:
755:, California Trail, Forgotten Journey Productions, 2004.
311:
is named for him. In 1862, he left the area, heading to
149:, on May 22, 1844. They departed with a larger group of
634:"Moses Schallenberger: Alone at Donner Lake, Part II"
566:
Moses Schallenberger (2007). Charles H. Todd (ed.).
565:
391:which include much of the modern day back lands of
145:The 50-member Stephens group left near present-day
570:. Winters, California: 19th Century Publications.
568:Moses Schallenberger at Truckey's Lake, 1844-1845
806:
529:
295:Plaque at Donner Pass commemorating the party
820:History of the Sierra Nevada (United States)
778:, Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office
93:consisted of ten families who migrated from
488:. Lewis Publishing Company. pp. 38–58.
631:
323:Genealogical Society. On May 1, 2010, the
722:, Truckee-Donner Historical Society, Inc.
525:
523:
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77:Learn how and when to remove this message
290:
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123:third expedition of John Charles Fremont
40:This article includes a list of general
605:
477:
475:
14:
807:
539:Stanford Historical Society Newsletter
520:
492:
632:McLaughlin, Mark (19 November 2014).
481:
121:. The crossing was a year before the
720:"The Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party"
574:
472:
325:Oregon-California Trails Association
238:southward with the goal of reaching
26:
788:
24:
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530:Dorothy Regnery (September 1983).
440:. Irish Roots Cafe. p. F-26.
397:Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
46:it lacks sufficient corresponding
25:
841:
586:Truckee-Donner Historical Society
507:Truckee-Donner Historical Society
401:Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve
345:San José Unified School District
273:for Mexican California Governor
31:
676:
651:
364:was the founder of the city of
357:Rancho Ojo del Agua de la Coche
299:Elisha Stephens settled in the
830:Stephens–Townsend–Murphy Party
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599:
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461:
434:Michael C. O'Laughlin (2003).
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91:Stephens–Townsend–Murphy Party
18:Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party
13:
1:
801:, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1962
421:
376:, the founder of the city of
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222:that came to be known as the
113:during the expansion of the
7:
765:"Sublette Greenwood Cutoff"
10:
846:
825:History of the Great Basin
704:
173:. He also had skills as a
132:
608:"One More River To Cross"
482:Foote, Horace S. (1888).
385:Rancho Cañada de Raymundo
224:Sublette-Greenwood Cutoff
663:schallenberger.sjusd.org
210:and Isaac Hitchcock. In
203:The party was guided by
776:Wyoming Emigrant Trails
177:. He had worked at the
125:, two years before the
61:more precise citations.
389:Rancho Corte de Madera
296:
142:
294:
140:
799:The California Trail
228:California Gold Rush
147:Council Bluffs, Iowa
107:California Gold Rush
103:Mexican–American War
797:George R. Stewart,
789:Stewart, George R.
606:Kirkpatrick, Jane.
416:Dennis Martin Creek
393:Stanford University
374:Charles Maria Weber
275:Manuel Micheltorena
271:Captain John Sutter
815:Mexican California
770:2012-04-14 at the
418:is named for him.
297:
143:
759:"Finding the Way"
752:Forgotten Journey
735:"Caleb Greenwood"
362:Martin Murphy Jr.
352:Martin Murphy Sr.
259:High Sierra foxes
171:Pacific Northwest
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16:(Redirected from
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218:on a bypass of
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189:in California.
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141:Elisha Stephens
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638:Tahoe Weekly
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307:area, where
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220:Fort Bridger
205:mountain men
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163:mountain man
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127:Donner Party
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45:
612:jkbooks.com
321:Kern County
317:Bakersfield
313:Kern County
255:Donner Lake
216:Green River
119:Donner Pass
59:introducing
809:Categories
730:Sierra Sun
591:24 October
552:2011-09-18
422:References
413:Woodside's
287:Afterwards
266:Yuba River
261:for food.
244:Lake Tahoe
198:San Rafael
179:Potawatomi
175:blacksmith
155:Sacramento
99:California
67:April 2010
42:references
693:4 January
668:29 August
643:29 August
617:29 August
512:29 August
366:Sunnyvale
350:In 1846,
305:Cupertino
194:Catholics
187:physician
768:Archived
378:Stockton
301:San Jose
105:and the
705:Sources
684:"About"
370:Murphys
340:cholera
212:Wyoming
133:Journey
55:improve
750:video
453:19 May
444:
405:Ladera
403:, the
360:. Son
167:beaver
151:Oregon
44:, but
546:(PDF)
535:(PDF)
695:2023
670:2019
645:2019
619:2019
593:2021
514:2019
455:2016
442:ISBN
387:and
165:and
95:Iowa
89:The
334:of
97:to
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
