Historic Truckee offers recreation, shopping opportunities

Located just 30 miles from Reno and 13 miles from Lake Tahoe, old Truckee, Calif., deserves the attention it receives from travelers on Interstate 80. Central to a host of recreational possibilities, the historic town boasts a collection of attractive shops, eateries and outdoor outfitters, many housed in restored frontier-era buildings along its short main street and nearby side streets.

Visitors to Truckee find a selection of places to stay, including an old hotel, lodges, bed and breakfast inns and modern motels. Visitors who prefer more rustic accommodations find campgrounds, cabin rentals and RV parks in Truckee or close by. Summer or winter, reservations ensure a trouble-free visit to this popular area. Contact the Donner-Truckee Chamber of Commerce for listings.

Truckee's town limits include nearby Donner Lake, site of a state park, museum and monument to the ill-fated Donner Party. Anglers, boaters, kayakers and canoeists love the alpine lake, one of several within easy reach of Truckee. The Truckee River tumbles past the town, fed by Lake Tahoe and a dozen Sierra streams, all stocked with trout. In summer, a network of trails lures hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians into the gorgeous Sierra Nevada Range. In winter, Truckee becomes a hub for winter sports like skiing, snowboarding and snowmobiling.

Truckee lies along the old Emigrant Trail, one of the overland routes used by wagon trains in the mid-1800s to cross the continent before the railroads and highways opened the West. Its name comes from a Paiute who assisted early travelers. Guided by mountain man Caleb Greenwood, the Stephens Party made the first crossing of the Sierras using Donner Pass near Truckee in 1844.

In 1846, 87 members of the Donner Party tried to cross the mountains by the same route in late October. Caught by early winter snows, the party languished beyond hope of rescue until 15 of the strongest set out on foot in December with two Indian guides. They encountered the blocked pass, forests deep with snow and more severe storms before reaching an Indian camp beyond the mountains. Carrying six days rations for a trip that took 32 days, the starving rescuers resorted to eating those of their companions who died and killed and ate the two guides when they refused to eat human flesh. Only seven made it.

Those left behind at Donner Lake consumed all their supplies and slaughtered all their livestock for food. Some fed upon their dead companions. Help finally arrived on Feb. 10, 1847. Only 45 of the emigrants survived starvation, disease, winter and the ordeals of the trail. Visit the museum at Donner Lake State Park to learn more of their disastrous journey.

Truckee started out as a way station along a stage route in 1863. In 1868, the Central Pacific Railroad pushed into the Sierra Nevada through Donner Pass on its way east to meet the Union Pacific. This historic effort created the first transcontinental railroad route. The first trains began to run June 18, 1868. The way station became a stop along the line, soon calling itself Truckee.

With access to the railroad, logging and timber milling grew as industries to provide lumber for new towns and the mines of the fabulous Comstock Lode at Virginia City. Ice harvested from the Tahoe Basin preserved produce and fruit from California farms and ranches. The trains carried the iced foodstuff to markets across the country until the introduction of refrigerated cars in 1927.

Little Truckee survived devastating fires in its early years, including three in 1871. Citizens rebuilt its scorched downtown several times. Despite the conflagrations, Truckee boasts survivors from that time, including a hotel, business buildings, several homes and the 1875 jail. Built of native stone later faced with brick, the jail remains one of the West's oldest, in service until 1964. The original way station, a log structure built in 1863, Truckee's oldest building, stands today where it was relocated in 1909.

The old buildings lend a special charm to Truckee, as visitors following the self-guiding walking tour discover. Pick up a guide at the 1896 depot which now houses the chamber of commerce, several shops and the Amtrak waiting room. Yes, the trains still pass through Truckee, even in the worst of winters.

Margo Bartlett Pesek's column appears on Sundays.