Docent Robert Keahey of the Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum presents the epic journeys of the early California-bound pioneers.
Before the Donner-Party and the Forty-Niners of the Gold Rush, there were several wagon trains that blazed the trail to California.
Starting with the early western landscape and the drivers that motivated the pioneers to go west, the presentation covers the development of the two primary trails that led pioneers west - The Oregon Trail and The Santa Fe Trail. The basics of a westward migration are also covered. The makeup of the pioneers, how they traveled, what they took with them, and the hazards they faced - all of which led to the development of The California Trail that would bring 250,000 people west.
Several early migrations are discussed, including the Bidwell-Bartleson Party, the Chiles-Walker Party and the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party, which brought the first settlers to Sunnyvale. Then an intriguing look at the infamous Hastings Cutoff of 1846 is presented, examining how it sealed the fate of the Donner Party.