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Welcome to
Truckee-Donner Historical Society Updated HCS 6/13/2025 |
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(Right) On May 21, 2025, several members of both the Donner Summit and Truckee-Donner Historical Societies mounted a plaque honoring Summit Tunnel Number 6. The plaque was sponsored by the National Railway Historical Society and dedicated May 10, 2025, but due to the snow, placing the plaque was delayed a few weeks. Photo by Greg Zirbel.
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Summit Tunnel Number 6 has been placed on the National Register of Historic Railroad Landmarks. Tunnel 6 was the highest and longest tunnel of the first transcontinental railroad and was the engineering marvel of the 19th century. Chinese railroad workers toiled around the clock six days a week to tunnel through solid granite, making progress of only inches per day, enabling the transcontinental railroad over the Sierra, and opening California to the nation. Operational Dates: 1868-1992. National Railway Historical Society, Donner Summit Historical Society, Donner Summit Association, May 10, 2025.
Also, in Donner Summit Historical Society's June 1, 2025 Heirloom newsletter, there is an additional photo of the plaque installers and a short article. See this link, p. 26.
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In case you hadn't heard, the California Digital Newspaper Collection, cdnc.ucr.edu, on which we historians, researchers, and genealogists rely on so heavily, has sadly lost all of its funding for 2024-2025 and CDNC will close down after June 30, 2025 unless it secures the requisite $300,000 in donations.
See this article for more details.
See this article for more details.
2025 May to October Keep Truckee History Alive - calendar -
see this list of planned activities
see this list of planned activities
Doors will open half hour before the program commences at 6 pm. for each program.
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Two NEW additional MoTH Speaker Series programs coming your way! See below dates.
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NEW articles - African American Demographics in Truckee - by Chaun L. Mortier - click here for the copyrighted article. As part of Nevada County's 'We Are Not Strangers Here' program, Chaun's article expands on Mr. Albert Johnson's life here in Truckee in the late 1800s to early 1900s.
WHY it is SO Important to Get the Sierra Sun Newspapers Digitized. Read the article here...
Hobart Mills. Read the article here ... and an update to the Fire God article from December 2015
TDHS's latest April 2, 2025 enews now available at this link. Enjoy!
New map titled Early Truckee Lumber, Ice & Railroads. Details, see this link.
Donner Party Hike for 2025 is now scheduled. Visit this page for more information and registration.
For all the maps we've scanned, we have linked the Main Index to our Map Collection of high resolution pdfs.
this link will take you to a google drive spreadsheet
which shows which maps have been scanned and what is currently available for immediate viewing. Please keep in the mind that we did NOT scan Truckee Sanborn maps or out of the immediate area maps in our possession. Also keep in mind that some of these maps are quite large in size and may take awhile to download as they are TDHS watermarked pdfs with the corresponding map number in the lower right corner. As with our Map Collection, if you are interested in securing a non watermarked map, please contact us at [email protected]. Map away! Have fun exploring.
Courtesy of the CZUR Prezifier scanner, TDHS was able to scan older issues of our Echoes From the Past printed newsletter from 2001 - 2009. They are located at this link, and are full text searchable.
Unearthed information about individual Truckee addresses and historical background of
some of Truckee's most iconic sites. Take a look.
some of Truckee's most iconic sites. Take a look.
In case you are not yet a member of our Truckee-Donner Historical Society, you may have missed our most recent email news blast about all that is happening behind the scenes.
We have been indeed been very busy.
We have been indeed been very busy.
Become a Member today! Some of the benefits of Membership is that you will get advance notice of
TDHS-sponsored programs, new article postings, discount on book offerings, and the knowledge that you are helping to keep Truckee History Alive! Please join us!
TDHS-sponsored programs, new article postings, discount on book offerings, and the knowledge that you are helping to keep Truckee History Alive! Please join us!
Don't forget to check the More ... tab at the top and go to Links to Other articles for more information.
Truckee Veterans Memorial Building and Rocking Stone Tower plaque dedication was held at Vets Hall on Veterans Day Nov. 11, 2021, recognizing a National Register of Historic Places listing. Details ...
Dedication was hosted by American Legion Post 439. Link to dedication program.
Dedication was hosted by American Legion Post 439. Link to dedication program.
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Members and community members: We are hoping to get our Truckee-Donner Historical Society Joseph Research Library Cabin ready to execute some serious deferred maintenance because of the ever-increasing dangers of high winter thaw and flooding of our cabin. We have had some challenging weather and equipment issues of late which are now repeatedly threatening our Cabin which houses Truckee’s largest collection of IRREPLACEABLE historical photos, maps, books, articles and clippings available and open to the public.
To the left is a photo of the cabin taken March 5, 2024. Notice the amount of snow still on the ground. We'll have to wait awhile until we can even think about starting these maintenance projects! Please contact us if you are interested in assisting us in this most important work by emailing [email protected].
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Museum of Truckee History (MoTH) now has its own website. Please see this link for more details.
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The Museum of Truckee History (MoTH) IS open now with scheduled private tours, AND Monday & Thursday 12-3, AND Friday, Saturday, & Sunday from 10 am - 4 pm, depending on docent availability. The Joseph Research Library Research Cabin and the Old Truckee Jail Museum ARE open to the public. Private tours may still be arranged by emailing [email protected] or [email protected].
Call (530) 582-0893. 
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We appreciate the faithful support of our historical society members and of visitors to our website. We are offering an additional way for you to support the work of the society through monthly patronage, at an amount that fits your budget. Annual memberships are not going away!
You can be a member with an annual payment of dues or with an automatic electronic donation to the society. We receive no funding from federal, state, or local government, so your support is essential to the work of keeping Truckee history alive. Thank you!!
You can be a member with an annual payment of dues or with an automatic electronic donation to the society. We receive no funding from federal, state, or local government, so your support is essential to the work of keeping Truckee history alive. Thank you!!
To become a TDHS member ...
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Our TDHS Reference Book List was recently updated as of November 21, 2024. Please check it out.
TDHS does not accept responsibility for the accuracy of the information in posted articles to this website. Articles are posted for informational, educational, and investigative content - and suggestions.
TDHS retains the right to republish submitted material.
Please contact TDHS for permission to use any content in this publication.
By publishing these articles, TDHS does not agree nor endorse any of the opinions expressed by the authors.
TDHS retains the right to republish submitted material.
Please contact TDHS for permission to use any content in this publication.
By publishing these articles, TDHS does not agree nor endorse any of the opinions expressed by the authors.
Who We Are - About Us
As volunteers for this non profit 501(c)(3) organization, we are stewards of a number of unique physical assets (see below). The TDHS invites you to join with us in the preservation and maintenance of these irreplaceable historical venues, and at the same time have lots of fun in the process discovering our Truckee, California heritage.
Our MISSION is to discover, procure and preserve whatever may relate to the aboriginal, natural, civil, literary, and ecclesiastical history of the Town of Truckee and surrounding area. Our VISION is to preserve and protect the history of Truckee.
We are a small group of very dedicated volunteers who love Truckee and its rich history, and who continue to serve in whatever capacities are required to continue our mission.
As volunteers for this non profit 501(c)(3) organization, we are stewards of a number of unique physical assets (see below). The TDHS invites you to join with us in the preservation and maintenance of these irreplaceable historical venues, and at the same time have lots of fun in the process discovering our Truckee, California heritage.
Our MISSION is to discover, procure and preserve whatever may relate to the aboriginal, natural, civil, literary, and ecclesiastical history of the Town of Truckee and surrounding area. Our VISION is to preserve and protect the history of Truckee.
We are a small group of very dedicated volunteers who love Truckee and its rich history, and who continue to serve in whatever capacities are required to continue our mission.
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Truckee-Donner Historical Society (TDHS) was founded July 24, 1968 to preserve the history of the Truckee - Donner area. Besides maintaining the historic Joseph Research Cabin (the Gateway Cabin), the Society is also responsible for operating the Old Truckee Jail Museum which was built in 1875. The Society maintains the Community Memorial Garden including the Memorial Arch behind the Old Truckee Jail Museum, the Donner Cross, and Schaffer Cemetery. (For a brief description of where the Cabin originated, please see this link.) As of May 8, 2021, the Society also co-chairs the operation of the Museum of Truckee History, located in downtown Truckee, at the east end of the Truckee Train Depot. In 2022, TDHS was deeded a two acre parcel within the area known as 'Truckee Springs.'
This parcel, now mostly pond, was the site of Truckee's Second "Ice Palace",
part of Truckee's Winter Carnival efforts, which was built in 1913, but destroyed by fire in 1915.
We participate in several Events during the course of the year, including the Old Timers' Picnic. Our research historians write articles on Truckee's History and the surrounding areas and document oral histories. We have several books on local Truckee history for sale on our Publications page and we also have Photos of the Truckee - Donner area which can be purchased. Please find a sampling of our numerous historic prints on our Photos page. Please take the time to browse both. You can also view our ever growing collection of images available for viewing online at this link. We have over 3,500 !!!! images so far and are still uploading. Take a walk back in time!!
If you would like to make a tax deductible donation to our Historical Society please visit our Donate page.
This parcel, now mostly pond, was the site of Truckee's Second "Ice Palace",
part of Truckee's Winter Carnival efforts, which was built in 1913, but destroyed by fire in 1915.
We participate in several Events during the course of the year, including the Old Timers' Picnic. Our research historians write articles on Truckee's History and the surrounding areas and document oral histories. We have several books on local Truckee history for sale on our Publications page and we also have Photos of the Truckee - Donner area which can be purchased. Please find a sampling of our numerous historic prints on our Photos page. Please take the time to browse both. You can also view our ever growing collection of images available for viewing online at this link. We have over 3,500 !!!! images so far and are still uploading. Take a walk back in time!!
If you would like to make a tax deductible donation to our Historical Society please visit our Donate page.
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Directions to the Joseph Research Library,
Truckee, CA One block off Donner Pass Road, adjacent to Meadow Park; 10115 Donner Trail Road Hours: Generally Thursdays, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Telephone No.: (530) 582-0893 |
Directions to the Old Truckee Jail Museum
Corner of Jibboom and Spring Streets, in Historic Downtown Truckee, 1 block from Donner Pass Road and Commercial Row; 10142 Jibboom Street See the Old Truckee Jail Museum page for hours |
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 893, Truckee, CA 96160
We always encourage our readers to contact us directly if you notice something not quite right or that needs correction.
