History Expeditions
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American West Live!
True tales from the 2,000‑mile journey west—pioneers, grit, and survival in 10 minutes or less.
This week crack open the Survivors & Heroes Expedition, which launches on Monday, September 29th from Donner Memorial State Park at 7am. For five days the six-member expedition team will ride and run for 120 miles, Donner Lake to Auburn, CA, retracing the hoofprints and footsteps of the advance party which come from the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party in November 1844. They were called the Horseback Party of Six.
We’ll delve into the reasons why History Expeditions and the endurance athletes that cut their way across the Sierra Mountains, across the Rubicon and down the Georgetown Divide, do what they do. And most important, what lessons we can learn from the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party to use in our everyday lives.
Be sure to follow the Survivors & Heroes Expedition beginning Monday, September 29th at 7am with our live tracker whose link can be found on our website at historyexp.org or their History Expeditions Facebook group.
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This week, the Survivors & Heroes Expedition. For the past twelve months, six adventurers have been living and breathing 1844. Their preparation reads like a graduate-level history seminar crossed with extreme sports training. Beginning September 29th, these endurance athletes will attempt something that’s never been done: a 135-mile horseback crossing of the Sierra Nevada following the exact route of the 1844 Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party’s “Horseback Party of Six”. Yes, the same route that included two brave women, Elizabeth Townsend and Ellen Murphy, who chose to ride through winter wilderness rather than stay with the main wagon train.
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Discover how the courage, vision, and community spirit of the members of the Party helped shape the Golden State and the American West. From founding towns and shaping early politics to igniting California’s agricultural economy and supporting education, these trailblazers—especially the influential Murphy family—played a vital role in building the foundations of modern California.
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You may find this “revolt-ing” but the men of the Party got caught up in a skirmish (thanks to one John Sutter) rather than returning to Survival Camp to save their loved ones trapped in the Sierra winter snow. Find out what happened.
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Imagine being left alone in a strange place for three months in the dead of winter, surrounded by 30 feet of snow, with little food, and the prospect you may never be rescued. Yeah, sounds awful. Listen to the story of the Party member that did just that – and hear if he survived.
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This week we imagine what it must have been like to spend an entire winter in the high Sierra Mountains, after having travelled months over 2,000 miles from the Midwest, only to be stopped by an early series of winter storms, and trapped with dwindling food, little to no shelter and freezing temperatures. So bundle up and join us as we listen to episode six, Freezing, Starved & Alone: Life at Survival Camp..
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In November 1844, the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party became the first to haul wagons over the Sierra Nevada, overcoming snow, exhausted oxen, and a ten-foot granite wall using ropes and teamwork. Their success opened the California Trail, proving wagons could cross the mountains and paving the way for future westward migration.
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In 1844, six pioneers from the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy wagon train became the first non-Indigenous people to cross the Sierra Nevada via the Truckee River corridor. Guided by Washoe people and driven by necessity, their journey shattered gender stereotypes and debunked myths of lone heroism. Their success opened a vital route for future emigrants and highlighted the crucial role of Indigenous knowledge and collaboration in westward expansion. Their legacy endures as a testament to courage and cooperation.
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The Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party, a group of ten families, left Iowa in 1844, becoming the first to bring wagons over the Sierra Nevada. Their journey was marked by conflicts, harsh weather, illness, and insect plagues. Strong leadership, unity, and experience helped them overcome adversity and open the West for future settlers.
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The Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party’s 1844 expedition was the first successful wagon crossing of the Sierra Nevada. This achievement is attributed to the collective leadership of several key individuals with diverse skills and unwavering resilience in the face of significant challenges. In this episode we highlight six figures whose contributions in terms of decisiveness, communication, and grit were crucial to the party’s triumph.
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In 1844 the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party left Council Bluffs, Iowa with 50 members and 11 wagons, with the goal of reaching Sacramento, California, 2,000 miles to the west and beginning a new life of freedom and prosperity. This seven-month journey, ending in triumph with all 50 members surviving, in fact 52 as two babies were born along the way, and becoming the first pioneers to get a wagon to California, was overshadowed in history by the ill-fated Donner Party of 1846 and the Gold Rush of 1849. We are taking a deep dive into this inspiring story starting with The First Wagons to California.
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