IN 1846, A WAGON PARTY,
LED BY GEORGE DONNER, BEGAN A PERILOUS JOURNEY
ACROSS THE CONTINENT. A NEW AND UNTESTED ROUTE RESULTED IN MANY
UNEXPECTED HARDSHIPS AND DELAYS. THE WAGONS WERE LATE
REACHING THE SIERRA NEVADA, THE LAST BARRIER ON THE ROUTE
TO CALIFORNIA. DISASTER AWAITED THE 87 MEN,
WOMEN AND CHILDREN OF THE DONNER PARTY. EARLY AUTUMN SNOWSTORMS
TRAPPED THE WAGONS, AND THEY WERE FORCED TO
CONSTRUCT MAKESHIFT CAMPS
FOR THE WINTER. THE RESULT WAS EXTREME SUFFERING
AND STARVATION. BY THE FOLLOWING APRIL, WHEN THE LAST
OF SEVERAL RESCUE EFFORTS ENDED, NEARLY HALF OF THE WAGON PARTY
MEMBERS HAD PERISHED. THE ORDEAL
DREW NATIONAL ATTENTION, SPARKED BY RUMORS
OF CANNIBALISM. STILL THE TRAGEDY
REMAINS A MYSTERY, INCLUDING THE LOCATION
OF THE VARIOUS WINTER CAMPS. THIS IS THE STORY OF ONE EFFORT TO SHED NEW LIGHT ON ONE
OF THE MOST DRAMATIC EVENTS IN THE HISTORY
OF THE AMERICAN WEST. I'M TICKLED
TO SEE THAT
THEY'RE DOING THIS. THIS IS A REAL
HIGHLIGHT IN MY LIFE. GIVES ME GOOSE BUMPS, YOU KNOW.
IT'S REALLY EXCITING. IT'S JUST A WONDERFUL
STORY, I THINK. IT'S REALLY FAMILIAR
TO ALL OF US. THEY TRIED TO GET OVER SOME
MOUNTAINS, AND DIDN'T MAKE IT. SOME OF THEM DIDN'T MAKE IT. IT'S JUST INCREDIBLE, OBVIOUSLY,
TO THINK WHAT THEY WENT THROUGH, AND NOW TO SEE IT
AND ALMOST TOUCH IT. THE FIRST THING
YOU THINK OF... MY LORD ALMIGHTY,
HOW THOSE PEOPLE EVER DID IT. HOW'D THESE PEOPLE DO IT ? YEAH, I MARVELED THAT
THEY GOT AS FAR AS THEY DID. IT'S JUST MIND-BOGGLING ! IT WAS, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE
WORLD'S GREATEST ADVENTURES. I MEAN, YOU COULDN'T
HAVE WRITTEN FICTION AS EXCITING AS THEIR ADVENTURE. IT'S SYMBOLIC
OF THE MOVEMENT WEST. IT'S PART
OF AMERICAN MYTHOLOGY. CAN YOU IMAGINE SNOW 20 FEET
DEEP AND STARVING CHILDREN ? I'M A MOTHER NOW, TOO, AND I CAN'T IMAGINE
WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE TO WATCH YOUR CHILDREN
DYING IN FRONT OF YOU. WHAT BOTHERED ME WAS
THE CHILDREN NOT HAVING
ENOUGH TO EAT. THEY HAD TO PUT UP WITH A LOT,
YOU KNOW...SHORTAGE OF FOOD. IT'S TOO BAD THEY HAD TO START
EATING EACH OTHER. THEY HAD TO STOOP
TO EATING "CANNIBALISM." CANNIBALISM ! CANNIBALISM ! CANNIBALISM ! CANNIBALISM ! THERE'S ALL KINDS OF TALES
THAT THEY BECAME "CANNIBALISM." THIS IS THE TACKIEST SOUVENIR
WE COULD FIND. IT'S KIND OF SICK,
BUT I THINK IT'S FUNNY. EVERY OUNCE OF DIRT THAT'S
BEEN DUG, I DONE DUG IT. Man: A LOT OF PEOPLE ASK, "WHY ARE ARCHAEOLOGISTS
INTERESTED IN THIS SITE ?" AND WE ANSWER THAT, "WELL, YOU CAN READ A LOT ABOUT
HISTORY FROM HISTORY BOOKS..." BUT HISTORIANS WILL TELL YOU
THAT WHAT YOU READ HAS TO BE READ
WITH A LITTLE BIT OF SCRUTINY, THAT PEOPLE APPROACH HISTORY WITH DIFFERENT
BITS OF INFORMATION AND DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES. AND, IN FACT, THAT'S REFLECTED
IN THE DONNERS' STORY. SO THE ARCHAEOLOGY WORK IS MEANT
TO COMPLEMENT AND HELP CLARIFY AND STRENGTHEN
THE HISTORICAL RECORDS. THE FIRST JOB
OF THE ARCHAEOLOGIST IS TO TRY TO VALIDATE
WHAT HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN THROUGH ORAL TRADITION
AND THROUGH HISTORY. IS THIS THE SPOT ? IF SO,
WHERE WERE THE CAMPS ? WERE THE CAMPS LOCATED WHERE
HISTORY TELLS US THEY WERE ? AND, BEYOND THAT, TO TRY TO PROVIDE
A LITTLE BIT BETTER PICTURE OF WHAT LIFE
WAS REALLY LIKE HERE FOR THE FOLKS
THAT SPENT THE WINTER HERE. Man: THE DONNER PARTY PROJECT
IS AN INTERDISCIPLINARY PROJECT. WE HAVE MADE USE OF HISTORIANS. WE HAVE MADE USE
OF DENDROCHRONOLOGISTS. WE'VE MADE USE OF GEOLOGISTS AS WELL AS ARCHAEOLOGISTS TO TRY TO COLLECT
AS MUCH INFORMATION AS WE CAN ABOUT THE ALDER CREEK CAMP. Markley: WHAT WE HAVE
IS A JOINT PROJECT BETWEEN THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE
AND UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO. AND THE PROJECT WAS PROMPTED
BY THE FOREST SERVICE PROPOSAL TO DO SOME WORK AT THE SITE HERE TO IMPROVE IT
FOR HANDICAPPED USERS. WELL, WHEN WE HEARD ABOUT THAT, WE WANTED TO GET INVOLVED
AS ARCHAEOLOGISTS BECAUSE WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WEREN'T GOING TO
INADVERTENTLY BE DESTROYING OR DISTURBING ANY EVIDENCE
OF THE DONNER PARTY THAT MIGHT HAVE SURVIVED. WHAT WE HAVE IN FRONT OF US HERE
IS THIS STATELY PINE TREE. AS YOU CAN SEE AT THE BASE
OF IT, THERE'S A FIRE SCAR. THERE'S ALSO A FORK
OF THE TREE THAT -- THERE'S JUST A REMNANT
OF THAT TREE NOW SURVIVING. THERE'S ALSO A LARGE ROCK
AT THE BASE OF IT. THIS TREE WAS POINTED OUT
AS BEING THE TREE -- GEORGE DONNER SUPPOSEDLY
CONSTRUCTED A SHELTER AGAINST THIS FORKED PINE, BUILT A FIRE AGAINST THE TREE, AND TRIED TO SURVIVE
THAT WINTER. Woman: WHAT WE
WERE CHARGED WITH, OUR TASK AT HAND
IN BEGINNING THIS PROJECT, FIRST AND FOREMOST,
WAS TO VERIFY ARCHAEOLOGICALLY WHETHER OR NOT THIS TREE HERE IS INDEED THE SITE
OF THE GEORGE DONNER CAMP. IT HAS BEEN SO DESIGNATED
SINCE BACK IN THE 1880s. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT
ABOUT 110 YEARS OR SO WHEN, BASICALLY,
PEOPLE HAVE BELIEVED IN THIS CULTURAL LANDMARK HERE,
ALMOST AS A SACRED COW. Markley: WHAT ARCHAEOLOGISTS
TEND TO DEAL WITH ARE VERY SMALL,
FRAGMENTARY OBJECTS. EVERYTHING THAT WAS VISIBLE
AND RECOGNIZABLE WAS CARTED OFF FIRST BY
THE RESCUERS WHO CAME IN 1847. THE VALUABLE THINGS THEY TOOK. IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS,
DURING THE GOLD RUSH, TRAVELERS TALKED ABOUT
STOPPING AT THE CAMP AND PICKING UP SOUVENIRS. THAT ACTIVITY
HAS GONE ON EVER SINCE. SO THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS DON'T HAVE A PRISTINE, COMPLETE
TIME CAPSULE TO DEAL WITH. WE'RE HAVING TO DEAL
WITH THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE EITHER DIDN'T SEE, DIDN'T NOTICE, OR DIDN'T THINK
WERE WORTHWHILE TO TAKE. THIS SITE WAS PROBABLY
WELL PICKED OVER BEFORE
WE WERE EVEN HERE... JUST CASUAL COLLECTING...
WHAT HAVE NOT. IT'S BEEN REPORTED THAT VISITORS WOULD COME OUT HERE
AND CAMP AT NIGHT RIGHT BY THE TREE
IN THE 1870s. RIGHT NOW, WE'RE ON THE LAST
COUPLE OF BUCKETS. WE'RE JUST GETTING
DOZENS AND DOZENS OF FLAKES, IF YOU CAN SEE THAT. Markley:
THE ARTIFACTS BARBARA HAS HERE
ARE INDIAN ARTIFACTS, LEFT FROM
THE SEVERAL THOUSAND YEARS OF INDIAN OCCUPATION
OF THIS SITE. AND THESE ARE PRIMARILY FLAKES,
AS WE CALL THEM, CHIPS OF BASALT THAT ARE THE REMNANTS OF THE INDIANS
MANUFACTURING STONE TOOLS. SO FAR WHAT WE'RE FINDING
AT THIS EXCAVATION UNIT IS NO EVIDENCE
OF THE DONNER PARTY, BUT A LOT OF EVIDENCE
OF THE INDIAN OCCUPATION. FIND ANYTHING ? NO. ARCHAEOLOGY IS A LOT DIFFERENT
FROM INDIANA JONES. THIS IS REAL ROMANTIC ! WE'RE STILL WAITING. KIND OF SOON TO TELL
MUCH OF ANYTHING AT THIS POINT, BUT, UH...WE SHALL SEE. OH, I THINK MORALE
IS A LITTLE LOW BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T FOUND
ANYTHING HISTORIC. NO BEADS OR EYELETS. NO COMPACT SURFACE,
NO ARTIFACTS. POCKETS FULL OF BOTTLE CAPS
AND PULL-TABS AND JUNK. EVERYBODY WANTS
TO FIND SOMETHING. A LITTLE NOTORIETY. CERTAINLY ! YOU MEAN BESIDES
THE BASALT FLAKES ? RIGHT, RIGHT. I WOULD LIKE TO FIND
A WHOLE AXLE HUB. TAMSEN DONNER'S DIARY. AN INTACT PISTOL. GOLD. I'D LIKE HER TO FIND A BONE
WITH A BITE IN IT. THEY THINK THIS MIGHT POSSIBLY
BE A GRAVE MOUND OR SOMETHING. I DEFINITELY
DON'T WANT TO FIND BONES. IF WE COULD FIND
A COIN OF SOME SORT, DATING THAT GENERAL PERIOD, OR PREFERABLY
EARLIER THAN THAT PERIOD. Lindstrom: I KNOW THINGS CAN BE
MAYBE A LITTLE TRYING OVER THERE AT THE GEORGE TREE, ESPECIALLY ABOUT 3:00
IN THE AFTERNOON, WHEN YOU'RE JUST BAKING, AND IT'S LIKE
ONE MORE HARD SURFACE
AFTER THE NEXT AFTER THE NEXT
AFTER THE NEXT. BUT I'D LIKE TO SAY
ONE THING -- THAT NO MATTER WHAT THE OUTCOME
OF THIS DIG IS, EITHER WAY,
WE ARE IN AN ALL-WIN SITUATION. WE REALLY ARE. IT MAY NOT
SEEM LIKE THAT NOW. IT'S, LIKE, "IF WE DON'T FIND
THE GEORGE DONNER TREE AND THEIR CAMP SITE,
IT'S A FAILURE OR SOMETHING." AND IF WE<i> DON'T</i> FIND IT, WHAT WE ARE
IN A POSITION OF DOING IS THAT WE ARE GOING TO TURN
EMIGRANT TRAIL RESEARCH
ON ITS EAR. AND SO THAT IN ITSELF
IS REALLY AN IMPORTANT THING. FOR 150 YEARS, OR WHATEVER,
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, SAYING THAT THIS INDEED
IS THE SITE. THEY'VE BEEN SAYING, "INDEED,
THIS IS THE TRAIL." WE WILL KNOW WHETHER OR NOT
THIS IS THE SITE BY THE END OF THIS SESSION. Markley: TODAY IS THE END
OF WEEK NUMBER THREE. SO THERE WILL BE
TWO MORE WEEKS AFTER THIS FOR US TO BEGIN TO REALLY
PIECE THIS TOGETHER. WELL, EARLY ON WE STARTED OUT
QUITE A WAYS AWAY, FOUND ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. WE PUT IN UNITS CLOSER,
FOUND ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. FINALLY -- YOU CAN SEE
THE AREA THERE WHERE WE HAVE FLAGGED OFF
WITH THE ORANGE RIBBON -- FINALLY WE SAID,
"ALL RIGHT, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, "LET'S GO RIGHT
TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER. "WE'RE GOING TO EXCAVATE
RIGHT IN THE CENTER "OF WHERE THIS CAMP
SHOULD BE LOCATED." WHAT HAVE WE FOUND THERE ?
NOTHING. NOT A SINGLE HISTORIC ARTIFACT
AT THAT LOCATION. Lindstrom: WE WERE TRYING TO
TEST OUT THE HISTORICAL RECORD AND THE ARCHIVAL RECORD
THROUGH ARCHAEOLOGICAL MEANS. BASICALLY,
LOOKING AT ARCHAEOLOGY AS AN INDEPENDENT
AND COLLABORATIVE
SOURCE OF INFORMATION, SOMETIMES WHICH SERVES TO
CLARIFY THE HISTORICAL RECORD, SOMETIMES WHICH SERVES TO REFUTE
THE HISTORICAL RECORD. Markley: IF THE SCAR IS A RESULT
OF FIRES FROM THE DONNERS' CAMP, WE WOULD HAVE EXPECTED,
FIRST OF ALL, TO HAVE FOUND TREMENDOUS
AMOUNTS OF CHARCOAL. THE DIARIES INDICATE THAT
THESE PEOPLE HAD FIRES BURNING ALMOST 24 HOURS A DAY
TO KEEP WARM. WE SHOULD ALSO FIND
LOTS OF LITTLE ARTIFACTS, PERHAPS SOME BONE,
FOOD REFUSE AND SO FORTH. WE'VE EXCAVATED ENTIRELY
AROUND THIS TREE, AS YOU CAN SEE,
AND NOT A THING. SO I THINK
WE'RE FAIRLY CONVINCED THAT WHILE THIS MAY -- THE TREE WAS HERE AT
THE TIME OF THE DONNER PARTY -- IT DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE ONE IN WHICH THE DONNERS THEMSELVES
CAMPED UP AGAINST. THAT, BASICALLY THEN,
ANSWERS OUR FIRST AND
MAJOR RESEARCH GOAL, WHICH IS -- THIS IS NOT THE
SITE OF THE GEORGE DONNER TREE. AND WE FEEL THAT WE HAVE
EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THAT. WE'RE GOING TO NEED
TO SUPPORT THAT BECAUSE, AGAIN, FOR 110 YEARS,
HISTORIANS HAVE REGARDED THIS -- IF ANYTHING WAS SURE ON THE
ROUTE OF THE EMIGRANT TRAIL, THIS WAS A SURE THING. AS THE PRESIDENT
OF THE OREGON-CALIFORNIA
TRAILS ASSOCIATION TOLD US, HE SAID, "YOU ARE ATTACKING
THE SACRED COW." WE'VE LITERALLY TAKEN THE HEART
OUT OF THE BEAST OF THE COW, AND WE ARE TAKING
SOME OF THE GLIMMER AWAY
FROM THIS TREE, TO BE SURE, BUT WE DON'T
WANT TO KILL IT. I MEAN, AGAIN, THIS SACRED COW
IS A SYMBOL OF THE EVENTS
THAT WERE GOING ON HERE, AND WE'D LIKE TO STILL RECOGNIZE
THIS AS A CULTURAL ARTIFACT THAT HAS BEEN SO
FOR 110 YEARS OR SO. LITERALLY, WE DON'T WANT
TO KILL THE TREE. ALSO WE'VE --
IN OUR EXCAVATIONS -- WE'VE DISTURBED A LOT OF ROOTS
ON THIS TREE, AND THIS TREE
IS OVER 500 YEARS OLD. IT SURVIVED A LOT OF THINGS. I WOULD HOPE
THAT OUR RESEARCH EFFORTS HERE WOULD NOT SERVE TO KILL
THIS CULTURAL ARTIFACT, THIS DEBUNKED SACRED COW,
AS IT WERE. IN THE PAST, ARCHAEOLOGISTS
DOING PURE RESEARCH, AND METAL DETECTORS -- PEOPLE
OPERATING METAL DETECTORS, SOMETIMES IRRESPONSIBLY -- HAVE NOT ALWAYS SEEN
EYE-TO-EYE. OUR GOALS HAVE NOT ALWAYS
BEEN COMPATIBLE. BUT WE'VE JUST GOTTEN
A REALLY POSITIVE RESPONSE FROM METAL DETECTOR CLUBS, WHO WOULD LIKE TO COME AND OFFER
THEIR ASSISTANCE IN RESEARCH. SO THAT HAS BEEN A REALLY... AN INNOVATIVE ASPECT
OF THIS PROJECT. Woman: METAL DETECTORS
AND ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVEN'T REALLY
BEEN CLOSE FRIENDS BECAUSE ARCHAEOLOGISTS THINK
THE METAL DETECTORS GO IN AND THEY DIG UP SITES
AND DESTROY SITES, WHICH I'M SURE WE COULD DO
IF WE WERE TREASURE HUNTING. BUT IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE,
IT SEEMED LOGICAL BECAUSE WE'RE DEALING WITH
AN HISTORICAL PERIOD, AND WE'RE LOOKING FOR IRON. AND SO, IN ORDER TO,
YOU KNOW... LOGICALLY, I FELT THEY
SHOULD HAVE METAL DETECTORS, AND FOUND OUT THAT THIS
JUST WAS NOT IN COMMON USE. WHAT WE DO WANT TO DO
IS TO PUNCH THROUGH
THAT ROCK STRATUM, JUST TO MAKE SURE
THAT WE DON'T HAVE
DONNERS UNDERNEATH. YEAH, REALLY ! MUSKET BALLS
POPPING OUT OF HERE. RIGHT. WELL, ALL RIGHT. DID YOU SEE
THAT MUSKET BALL
THEY FOUND ? YOU'RE KIDDING. NO. OVER IN
THE MEADOW. OH, YOU ARE
KIDDING ME. NO. WITH THE
METAL DETECTOR ? UH-HUH. HALLELUJAH ! Markley: THIS IS A LOT BETTER
THAN FINDING THE BOTTLE TOPS, THE BOTTLE CAPS AND THE THINGS
THAT ARE LITTERING THIS SITE THAT MARKED THE MORE RECENT USE
OF THIS AREA. JUST FINDING ONE OBJECT
DOESN'T BUY ANYTHING. YOU WANT TO FIND
A LOT OF THINGS, AND THE WEIGHT OF EVIDENCE
LEADS YOU TO A TIME PERIOD. WE TALKED ABOUT IT YESTERDAY, HE CAME OVER HERE TO LOOK AROUND
AND WE SAID, "YOU KNOW, LET'S JUST GO BACK
AND LOOK AT THAT MEADOW AGAIN.
YOU JUST NEVER KNOW." THAT WAS THE BEST POTENTIAL
WE'VE HAD SO FAR, AND LET'S JUST GO COVER IT
A LITTLE MORE SYSTEMATICALLY. [ DETECTOR HUMMING ] [ HUMMING ] IT'S ABOUT
1 1/4 INCHES DOWN. SHOULD BE RIGHT IN HERE. I'M GOING TO TRY
AND CUT A PLUG, SO THAT I WILL HAVE IT
IN THE CENTER OF WHATEVER. DO YOU WANT TO SEE IT ? WE HAVE A CUT NAIL. NOT A HAND-WROUGHT NAIL,
SO IT'S POST-DONNER. BINGO ! THAT'S THE FIRST ONE
I'VE FOUND. A PIECE
OF SQUARE NAIL. A PIECE
OF SQUARE NAIL. WHERE WAS IT ? RIGHT THERE. DID YOU CLEAN
IT OUT AGAIN ? YEAH ! OH, HELLO ! DID YOU FIND
ANOTHER SOMETHING ? YEP.
IT'S A SOMETHING. INTERESTING !
THAT COULD LITERALLY BE
FROM ALMOST ANYTHING. WE'VE GOT A PART OF
A CARRIAGE BOLT. WE FOUND ONE OTHER BOLT BEFORE,
SO THAT'S -- I THINK WE'RE ON THE TRACK. HAH ! GOT IT, ARLENE ! WHAT DID YOU GET ? A PIECE OF GLASS. IT'S A LITTLE PIECE OF GLASS. IT'S A TYPE OF RIVET THAT WAS
USED TO FASTEN CLOTHING. 1964 NICKEL. Markley:
WE'VE ONLY MOVED 100 YARDS FROM THE GEORGE DONNER TREE
INTO THE MEADOW, AND WE'RE REALLY STARTING
TO FIND THINGS NOW. A BIG BOLT. A SNAFFLE BIT. YEAH, IT WAS GREAT,
IT WAS EXCITING. WE ALMOST DIDN'T FIND IT. A PIECE OF A...
THE TONGUES. THEY USED THESE
AS KIND OF A BRACKET. RIGHT THERE -- THAT'S A PRETTY LARGE
DRILL BIT. IT'S GOT A TAPERED END. HOW INTERESTING ! HUH ! VERY
INTERESTING ! DIFFERENT KIND
OF A TACK. THAT'S THE FIRST ONE
OF THOSE WE'VE GOTTEN. THIS IS A DIFFERENT
LOOKING TACK. I THINK
IT'S A CUT NAIL. I BET
IT'S A SQUARE NAIL. PROBABLY A CLINCHED NAIL
IS AS GOOD AS ANYTHING. LOOKS MORE LIKE A BOTTLE. LOOK, A MUSKET BALL ! RIGHT HERE, GARY. I'LL BE DARNED. I GET TO JOIN
THE MUSKET BALL CLUB NOW. WE FOUND ONE UP HERE EARLIER,
AT LEAST AS BIG, MAYBE A LITTLE BIGGER. IT WAS ALMOST AS BIG
AS A MARBLE. WE FOUND IT RIGHT HERE
OUT OF THIS HOLE WITH THE METAL DETECTOR. TWO OF THEM !
THAT'S EVEN BIGGER. TWO MUSKET BALLS ! YEAH, MUSKET BALL...
PLOT 62. LOOKS LIKE A MUSKET BALL. IT'S A MUSKET BALL. ANOTHER ONE. ANOTHER
MUSKET BALL. EXCELLENT ! HERE'S ANOTHER ONE. ANOTHER ONE ? YAY, CURT ! Markley:
THIS IS REALLY PROMISING, AS FAR AS AN ARRAY OF ARTIFACTS
THAT GETS US BACK INTO... FEASIBLY INTO THAT 1840s PERIOD. WE'RE JUST GOING TO
USE SOME OF OUR... THESE ARE PERCUSSION CAPS
THAT HAVE BEEN FIRED. THEY WERE
THE IMMEDIATE FOLLOW-UP TO THE OLD FLINTLOCK MUSKET. Hardesty:
WE KNOW, HISTORICALLY, THAT AT LEAST SOME MEMBERS
OF THE DONNER PARTY HAD
PERCUSSION WEAPONS BECAUSE THEY'RE MENTIONED. THIS JUST CAME OUT OF OUR UNIT. THIS IS A RIM PIECE OF CERAMIC, AND ITS DESIGN
IS CALLED SHELLWARE, AND IT'S VERY DIAGNOSTIC
AS FAR AS TIME GOES. Hardesty: SHELL-AGE PEARLWARE
WOULD BE VERY CONSTENT WITH AN 1840s OCCUPATION SUCH
AS THAT OF THE DONNER PARTY. [ THUNDER ] Woman: AS I WAS TRAVELING AROUND
I CAME ACROSS A ROUND OBJECT. WELL, AS I STARTED
UNCOVERING IT, HERE I SEE
AN 1830 ONE CENT COIN, AND IT JUST WAS ECSTATIC. Lindstrom: NOW, YESTERDAY,
AND TODAY WE FOUND THE COINS, ONE DATING 1830
AND THE OTHER ONE TO DATE 1839, WHICH WAS JUST LIKE, "REJOICE !" I MEAN,
IT WAS JUST WONDERFUL. IF YOU WANT SOMETHING
TO DATE A SITE, WHAT BETTER THING THAN A COIN
WITH A DATE ON IT ? IT'S KIND OF NEAT
AND EXCITING ! FINALLY ! AT LAST ! THEY ALSO FOUND
A PEWTER BUTTON ABOUT THIS BIG AROUND. WE HAVEN'T FOUND A FIRE HEARTH, AND THAT'S
A LITTLE BIT DISCOURAGING. THE DIARIES TELL US THEY
HAD FIRES GOING 24 HOURS A DAY. WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO FIND
GOOD EVIDENCE OF THAT, OF FIRE, AND WE HAVEN'T FOUND IT. WE'VE FOUND SCATTERED CHARCOAL THROUGHOUT THE UNITS
WE'VE BEEN EXCAVATING, BUT NO CONCENTRATION. BUT IT MAY BE EXPLAINABLE BY THE FACT THAT WE HAVE SUCH
TREMENDOUS RODENT ACTIVITY
IN THE SITE. AND IT'S HIGHLY LIKELY THAT ALMOST EVERY SQUARE INCH
OF THIS MEADOW HAS BEEN MOVED AROUND OVER
THE LAST 140 YEARS BY RODENTS. SO A FIRE HEARTH
MAY WELL BE DISPERSED NOW ALL OVER THIS MEADOW AREA. OKAY, WHAT DO WE
GOT HERE ? GLASS ? WE GOT GLASS.
WE GOT CHARCOAL.
WE GOT BONE. WELL, WE FOUND, LIKE,
25 TINY LITTLE PIECES OF BONE, SOME OF THEM NO BIGGER THAN THIS
IN THE SCREEN YESTERDAY. Lindstrom:
WE'RE ALSO FINDING HUNDREDS
AND HUNDREDS OF PIECES OF VERY, VERY SMALL
PIECES OF BONE. THIS BONE
APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN BURNED. IT APPEARS
TO HAVE BEEN BROKEN UP, ALMOST TO THE POINT OF GRINDING. IN OTHER WORDS, THE PIECES
OF BROKEN BONE INDICATES TO US THAT WHOEVER WAS CAMPING HERE
WAS ON FAMINE FARE, AND THAT DECTLY, THEN, POINTS
TO A DONNER OCCUPATION, ALTHOUGH WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL
WHEN WE SAY THAT. BUT WE KNOW
THAT ANOTHER EMIGRANT CAMP MIGHT NOT HAVE THIS APPEARANCE, ESPECIALLY IN TERMS
OF THE BURNED BONE. ALL OF THESE THINGS TOGETHER
WOULD CERTAINLY SUGGEST THAT THIS MAY, INDEED,
BE A CORRECT LOCATION OF AT LEAST ONE
OF THE ALDER CREEK CAMPS. Markley: NOW THE BIG QUESTION,
OF COURSE, WE HAVE IS WHOSE CAMP IS WHOSE ? WE'VE GOT AN INDICATION
OF THINGS ACROSS THE MEADOW. WE'VE GOT SOME THINGS HERE. HISTORY TELLS US THAT GEORGE AND
JACOB CAMPED REAL CLOSE TOGETHER AND THE TEAMSTERS
CAMPED ACROSS THE CREEK. OKAY, WELL, IS THIS MEADOW
THE CRK ? IS THAT GEORGE<i> AND</i> JACOB
OVER THERE, OR IS IT GEORGE<i> OR</i> JACOB ?
IS<i> THIS</i> THE TEAMSTERS ? THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS, THE QUESTIONS WE WANT TO TRY
TO EXPLORE MORE FULLY WITH ADDITIONAL WORK. Lindstrom:
WHAT WE'RE FINDING DURING
THE COURSE OF THIS RESEARCH IS THEIR ASSISTANCE
HAS BEEN ALUTELY CRITICAL. THERE'S NO WAY
WE COULD HAVE ACCOMPLISHED WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE
TO ACCOMPLISH WITHOUT THE ASSISTANCE
OF METAL DETECTORS. WE'RE ALL LEARNING. IT'S JUST BEEN
A REAL GOOD EXPERIENCE. AND I THINK
IT'S BEEN A REAL BREAKTHROUGH THAT, IN THE FUTURE,
WHEN THEY'RE DEALING
WITH HISTORICAL SITES WHERE THERE'S METAL INVOLVED, THAT THEY WILL BE USING
METAL DETECTORS FIRST. Man: WHEN WILL YOU HAVE TESTS
ON THE BONE FRAGMENTS THAT WILL TELL YOU, "YES,
THESE ARE HUMAN," OR "NO, THESE
ARE NOT HUMAN" ? THIS COULD BE MONTHS
DOWN THE ROAD. UNFORTUNATELY,
THE QUESTION OF CANNIBALISM AND THE QUESTION OF WHAT GOODIES
ARE WE FINDING MAKES THE TOP OF THE STORY. THIS IS A STORY WE'RE
TRYING TO TURN AROUND. WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE
IS WE'RE TRYING TO CLARIFY SOME VERY IMPORTANT
ASPECTS OF HISTORY. THE UNFORTUNATE SIDE IS THAT
THE CANNIBALISM GETS THE PRESS OR GETS THE PRINT AS FAR AS
BOOKS ABOUT THE DONNER PARTY. AND THE REAL, THE REAL HEART
OF THE STORY SEEMS TO GET LOST. WHETHER OR NOT CANNIBALISM
ACTUALLY DID TAKE PLACE DURING THE DONNER TRAGEDY, I'M NOT EVEN WILLING
TO SPECULATE ABOUT. CERTAINLY WRITTEN ACCOUNTS WOULD
SUGGEST THAT IT PROBABLY DID. ARCHAEOLOGICALLY,
GIVEN THE FRAGMENTED NATURE
OF THE BONE THAT WE HAVE FOUND OF MOST OF THE REMAINS, TEE WE PROBABLY WOULD
NOT BE ABLE TO ADD ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
TO THAT. BUT, CERTAINLY, IT HAS TO BE
CONSIDERED AS ONE REASON
WHY THE DONNER TRAGEDY HAS MAINTAINED THE VISIBILITY
THAT IT'S HAD OVER THE YEARS. IT'S KIND OF
AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL PRINCIPLE THAT YOU ALWAYS FIND
THE MOST INTERESTING REMAINS JUST AS YOU'RE PREPARING
TO LEAVE. AND THIS WAS
DEFINITELY TRUE HERE. WE KNOW
WE'RE LEAVING TOMORROW, AND THAT'S KIND OF
A LITTLE DISHEARTENING THAT WE DIDN'T
FIND THESE THINGS
SOONER IN THE DIG INSTEAD OF
TOWARDS THE END. WE SPENT
SO MUCH TIME OVER AT
THE GEORGE DONNER TREE AND FOUND NOTHING, NOTHING AT ALL
EXCEPT A BATMAN RING. OUR CONCERN NOW IS THAT,
AS USUAL, THE MOST SIGNIFICANT FINDS ARE
FOUND IF NOT ON THE LAST DAY, THE LAST WEEK
OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECT. AND WE'VE BEEN FINDING
SOME THINGS THAT ARE REALLY
PRETTY INTERESTING AND PROBABLY
OF INTEREST TO COLLECTORS, AND THAT'S THE DOWNSIDE OF THIS. IS NOW
THAT WE'RE WRAPPING IT UP, WE'RE GOING TO BE WALKING AWAY KNOWING THAT THERE'S MORE WORK
NEEDED AT THE SITE, BUT OUR PROJECT
IS COMING TO AN END. Lindstrom:
BASICALLY WE WOULD HOPE THAT
THE MESSAGE THAT COMES ACROSS IS WE'RE HERE TRYING TO RESEARCH
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN HISTORY. AND THESE SIGNIFICANT EVENTS
OF HISTORY, THE INFORMATION
THAT'S CONTAINED WITH THE ARTIFACTS
THAT ARE STILL IN THIS GROUND, BELONGS TO ALL OF US. SO THIS IS OUR CONCERN. WE'RE HOPING
THAT WE CAN PUT THIS ACROSS IN A POSITIVE WAY. AND THROUGH PUBLIC EDUCATION
PEOPLE CAN REALIZE IT'S MUCH BETTER TO KNOW ABOUT
THE LARGER PICTURE AND THE HISTORY OF THIS RATHER THAN TO POSSESS A COIN
OR A MUSKET BALL WHICH THEN IS DEPRIVING THE REST
OF US OF THAT INFORMATION. Markley: WHY,
AT THIS TIME, NOW, WE HAVE COMPLETED
ALL THE EXCAVATIONS THAT WE ANTICIPATE DOING HERE
FOR THE NEAR FUTURE. THERE'S STILL POTENTIAL
TO DO MORE DIGGING, BUT WE REALLY WOULD LIKE
TO NOT DIG THE WHOLE SITE. WHILE THERE ARE
MORE THINGS THERE, WE'D LIKE TO LEAVE THEM
FOR THE FUTURE BECAUSE CHANCES ARE
50 YEARS FROM NOW ARCHAEOLOGISTS WILL HAVE A WHOLE
LOT BETTER ARRAY OF TECHNIQUES TO USE TO EXPLORE THE PAST, AND SO WE WANT TO LEAVE
A PORTION OF THE SITE FOR THEM.
