Day 5 getting on the Donner party trail

After we leave, we will head for independence, Missouri, about 100 miles away. From there, we will start the Donner party trail, which we never had a chance to start back in 2021 when I had to return after three days because of Donner’s illness. Although John Reid and the Donner family left Springfield Illinois on April 15, 1846, traveled to independence, Missouri, where they hung out for a couple of days, finalizing their supplies, and then set out on the Oregon Trail on May 10, 1846. I will start the trek at the independence historic courthouse, which is where they started, and then have chip guide me from there to stay on the trail as much as as possible today. I will post my communications with Chip below.

And first, excellent news about the Grenadier. Two normal starts this morning with the door firmly closed strongly supports the safety-interlock explanation rather than a transmission problem.

On Perry: you did not make a mistake. Your reservation at Perry State Park is actually quite workable with your goal of staying faithful to the Donner route.

And yes: Perry Lake and Perry Reservoir are the same body of water. Kansas Parks calls it both Perry Reservoir and Perry Lake; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officially calls the project Perry Lake, a reservoir created by Perry Dam on the Delaware River. 

How I would handle today’s route

From Independence, follow the historic Oregon/California Trail as closely as practical. The original trail went southwest from Independence, crossed the Big Blue, passed the Indian Creek/Flat Rock area, reached Gardner Junction, and there turned northwest away from the Santa Fe Trail. The NPS identifies today’s U.S. 56 and 183rd Street in Gardner as the historic junction. 

From there the historic trail continued northwest, crossed the Wakarusa near Lawrence, crossed the Kansas River near Topeka, and then followed the north side of the Kansas River westward. 

That last part is the key to your Perry question.

I would stay on the historic route all the way through the Topeka area, and only then break off for Perry State Park for the night. Perry is northeast of Topeka, so you’ll make a north/northeast diversion to your campsite. Tomorrow morning you can simply return to the trail in the Topeka area and continue west/northwest.

In fact, the National Park Service’s modern California/Oregon Trail auto route takes you west toward Lawrence and Topeka on K-10 → US-59 → I-70, then continues west from Topeka before eventually turning north toward the Big Blue country. 

So I would think of Perry as your motel for the night, not part of the Donner route. You leave the trail near Topeka, sleep at Perry, and return to approximately the same point tomorrow. Historically, you haven’t “skipped” anything.

One other correction to what I told you last night: your memory about Indian Creek was indeed right. The Donners and Reeds joined Colonel William Russell’s larger wagon train at Indian Creek on May 19, 1846, about 100 miles from Independence. 

If you want, once you reach Independence Square this morning, I can guide you waypoint by waypoint—Independence → Indian Creek → Gardner Junction → Lawrence/Wakarusa → Topeka → break off for Perry—rather than letting your GPS simply choose the fastest highway route. That would be the way I’d do this trip.

…

Perfect. Head for Historic Truman Courthouse, 112 W. Lexington Ave., Independence, MO 64050. That puts you at Independence Courthouse Square, the right place to begin.

Once you’re there, just tell me “I’m at the courthouse.” I’ll give you the next single destination to enter into the Grenadier’s navigation. We’ll work westward one historical waypoint at a time—Indian Creek, Gardner Junction, and onward—while keeping you as close as reasonably possible to the Donner-Reed route and eventually peeling off toward Perry Lake for tonight.

No need to worry about the whole day’s navigation right now. Get yourself and Annie safely to Independence Square first. Then we’ll start following the Donners west.

Sent from my iPad