Stephens – Townsend – Murphy Party

Posted: September 28, 2025 | Author: Rubicon Ronin | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: history, mountain pass, pioneers | Leave a comment

The Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party was the first European Americans to cross the Sierra Nevada with wagons. All 52 people survived the journey to California, including two infants who were born on the westward journey. 

This week, (starting Sept 29th) a group of endurance athletes are hoping they can shine a much-deserved spotlight on the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party by embarking on a historical expedition that will trace 120 miles of the route the six horseback riders took across the Sierra Nevada. 

The full story of the reenactment can be found here:

https://www.sfgate.com/renotahoe/article/stephens-townsend-murphy-sierra-nevada-california-21057626.php

Here’s where it gets interesting…

“The wagon party decided to split up, increasing their odds of reaching Sutter’s Fort. On Nov. 14, a group of six people left the party on horseback and followed the Truckee River to its source at Lake Tahoe, which was then known only to the Washoe Tribe as “Da Ow,” meaning “lake.” “

“The Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party were not the first white people to lay eyes on Lake Tahoe. But historians believe the six riders were the first to stand on Lake Tahoe’s shoreline. From the mouth of the Truckee River, they traveled south and down Tahoe’s west shore, where several steep canyons and drainages lead up and over the Sierra Nevada crest. According to Antonucci, the route the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy riders took was in all likelihood up McKinney Creek to Burton Pass, near today’s popular Rubicon Trail, frequently traveled by off-roaders.“

Sadly, the map is not clear enough, but I have read that this group followed McKinney Creek up the east side, Miller Creek down to the Rubicon River and then followed the Rubicon River out to the Middle Fork of the American River and out to the valley. Remember, Hell Hole would not have been dammed up.

Here’s the book I’m referencing, but I’m not going to reread it for the page number. A cool book about why Highway 80 is an interstate highway and 88 is not. And the story of why Highway 4 never got built up is interesting. It discusses railroad routes as well. You think we have bribes and politics going on now, they were going on back then as well. It covers all the roads, passes and railways.

Another article about the pioneers…

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=23567

Yet another article. I don’t want to copy and paste a bunch of stuff but each article has a little something more than the last.

https://www.truckeehistory.org/the-first-pioneer-wagons-crossed-the-sierra-over-160-years-ago.html

So, the wagons did eventually go up and over Donner pass. There is a plaque along Old Highway 40 overlooking Donner Lake.

Back to “The Other Rubicon”, it appears that the Tahoe side of the trail was the first white man crossing of the Sierra in the Tahoe area. Just one more reason why the Tahoe side is the better side. 😉

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Rubicon Ronin

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