mere adventure; some were single men looking for a location. Most
of them were fathers of families, among them several persons of
considerable means and of good standing in the community which
they were leaving. While we may suppose that most of them were
folk of no extraordinary sort, certainly some were persons of
education and intelligence. Among these was the wife of George
Donner--Tamsen Dormer; a woman of education, a musician, a
linguist, a botanist, and of the most sublime heroism.

Tamsen Donner sent back now and then along the route some story
of the daily doings of the caravan; and such letters as these are
of the utmost interest to any who desire precise information of
that time. It would seem that the emigrants themselves for a
great part of their route met with no great adventures, nor
indeed, appeared to be undertaking any unusual affair. They
followed a route up the Platte Valley already long known to those
of the eastern settlements.

"Near the Junction of the North
and South Platte, June 16, 1846.

"My Old Friend: We are now on the Platte, two hundred miles from
Fort Laramie. Our journey so far has been pleasant, the roads
have been good, and food plentiful. The water for part of the way
has been indifferent, but at no time have our cattle suffered for
it. Wood is now very scarce, but "buffalo chips" are excellent;
they kindle quickly and retain heat surprisingly. We had this
morning buffalo steaks broiled upon them that had the same flavor
they would have had upon hickory coals.