Details of the Expedition
Beginning Monday September 9th, track us live over 5-days from from Donner Lake to Auburn, CA
To honor the brave women and men of the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party, a never before attempted 120-mile reprise crossing the Sierra on horseback from Donner Lake to Auburn, CA, retracing the route we discovered of the Horseback Party of Six.
Pioneer Monument at Donner Memorial State Park September 29th, 2025, 7am to Auburn Dam Overlook Park, Auburn, CA, 120 miles and 5 days later arriving on October 3rd, 2025, 2pm.
Bob Crowley and Tim Twietmeyer, co-founders of History Expeditions, joined by Jennifer Hemmen, Elke Reimer, Hal Hall and Kassandra DiMaggio – all veteran endurance athletes and American West history devotees.
It will take the team 5 days to complete the 120 mile expedition. They will be reprising the route taken by the Horseback Party of Six (HBP), thought to be lost to history but discovered by the History Expeditions research team.
The route will take them to Lake Tahoe, then head west over the rugged Sierra Mountains near McKinney Creek, to the Rubicon River, across Gerle Meadows and along the Georgetown Divide to Cool, CA, then to Auburn.
- Appreciate the history, motivations and character of each Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party member.
- Comprehend the obstacles they encountered, the grit they commanded.
- Share important newly discovered historical information about the Horseback Party of Six route, location of Survival Camp, the intriguing characters and their inspiring stories.
- Expose new findings encountered during extensive research.
- Honor and reflect upon the souls who survived this ordeal and became the shoulders upon California was built.
The adventurers will keep a daily journal during their journey. A film crew will be embedded to capture the conditions, terrain and team interaction. A GPS tracking system will trace the team’s movements live over the internet. Anyone can follow the expedition beginning December 16th here: https://share.garmin.com/HISTORYEXPO
All the below events are open to the public
Mon Sep 29 – 6:45am brief Expedition send off ceremony from Pioneer Monument at Donner Memorial State Park, teams departs at 7am sharp. Free. Open to public.
Mon Sep 29 – Fri Oct 3: Daily updates, photos, video from the expedition on our Facebook group page . Free. Anyone can join.
Fri Oct 3 – 2p: Reception of arrival of Expedition at Auburn Dam Overlook. Free. open to public.
Fri October 3 – 5-6pm at Crooked Lane Brewery, Auburn: Expedition Celebration. Introducing our new Survivors & Heroes IPA. Food and drink available. Free. Open to public.
Fri Oct 3 – 7p to 8:30p at Crooked Lane Brewery in Auburn: Post-Expedition Presentation. Open to public. More info and tickets here
(tickets also available at door while they last – encourage buying advance tickets)
Sat Oct 4 – 8:30a – Donner Party Hikes at Donner Summit: (click here to register). Open to public.
Sat Oct 4 – 12:00pm – Sugar Bowl Ski Resort, Soda Springs, CA – Survivors & Heroes Expedition presentation Open to public.
Sat Oct 4 – 5-7pm Donner Memorial State Park Museum: Expedition Team presentation on the recently completed Survivors & Heroes Expedition (More information here). Free. Open to public.
As an expression of respect, each team member will carry tribute cards with many of the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party (STM) member’s photo and brief bio as a reminder of their struggle.
Each evening during the Expedition, we sit around the campfire, share a few tribute cards, discussing their lives, trying to relate to what it must have been like as we gaze the the identical stars cape they saw 175 years ago.
Photo Gallery
