Complex Numbers

Donner's Blitzen

Got a taste for some history?

The strange, sad and influential lives of the Donner Party survivors  

One of the funniest things I ever saw on the road was a sign for Donner Camp Picnic Ground  , an actual place near Truckee, in what became known as Donner Pass and now is basically just I-80.

Someone in charge knew exactly what they were doing, so it's even funnier than if it were a naive reference.

If, somehow, you've never heard of the travelers we're talking about here, the first part of the article above helpfully explains the background.

I also don't really have much to add to the article. I just often wondered whether what they had to do was eventually worth it, and now, after reading this, at least I know more about the rest of the story, after the sordid bits.

Their names still grace streets, schools and even a town, and the villain of the expedition was the first man to introduce lager to California.

So the answer, in that case, was yes, absolutely it was worth it. Whoever later introduced IPAs to California, though, should get a one-way trip to the Donner Picnic Ground.

However, Keseberg’s legacy as a brewer endures. In 1853, he founded Sacramento’s Phoenix Brewery, the first to introduce lagers to the region. The Sacramento Bee referred to him as “the first brewer in Sacramento.”

Villain? Hero? Why not both?

Anyway, okay, the other stories are probably just as interesting, but I was naturally drawn to the beer one. Like I said, not much to add, but at least there was beer.