Inscription
Alcove Spring
The water is of the most excellent kind. The spring is surrounded with Ash Cotton wood and Cedar trees. It is an excellent place to camp for a day or two to wash, recruit the cattle etc. I this day cut the name of the spring in the rock on Table at the top of the falls.- Emigrant journal entry: George McKinstry, May 30, 1846.
This cold-water spring was named by Edwin Bryant, a member of the ill-fated Donner and Reed emigrant wagon train that camped here for several days in late May of 1846. The company, which lost most of its members to starvation before reaching their destination, suffered its first loss here at Alcove Spring. Mrs. Sarah Keyes, the elderly mother-in-law of James Frazier Reed, died after an extended time suffering with consumption.
It took courage to venture into the wilderness. Pioneers on the Oregon and California Trails faced many obstacles - scarcity of water and food, sickness, rough terrain and harsh climate to name a few. Sanctuaries, like Alcove Spring, provided a reprieve as well as a place to bury the dead. Although more than 30,000 emigrants were buried along the trail, many more survived to begin a new life in the west.
[Inset photo captions read]
Alcove Spring inscription placed by George McKinstry of the Donner and Reed wagon party, May 30, 1846.
"J.F. Reed 26 May 1846" inscribed into one of the rocks now lying below the falls. Photo courtesy of Ray Ellenbecker.
Details
| HM Number | HM1HZP |
|---|---|
| Series | This marker is part of the California Trail series, and the Oregon Trail series. |
| Tags | |
| Placed By | National Park Service and Alcove Spring Preservation Association |
| Marker Condition |   9 out of 10 (1 reports) |
| Date Added | Monday, November 24th, 2014 at 9:01pm PST -08:00 |
Pictures
Locationbig map
| UTM (WGS84 Datum) | 14S E 699044 N 4402445 |
|---|---|
| Decimal Degrees | 39.74868333, -96.67678333 |
| Degrees and Decimal Minutes | N 39° 44.921', W 96° 40.607' |
| Degrees, Minutes and Seconds | 39° 44' 55.26" N, 96° 40' 36.42" W |
| Driving Directions | Google Maps |
| Area Code(s) | 785 |
| Closest Postal Address | At or near 1784-1796 E River Rd, Blue Rapids KS 66411, US |
| Alternative Maps | Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap |
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Show me all markers in: Blue Rapids, KS | Marshall County | 66411 | Kansas | United States of America
I Saw The Marker
The waterfall was dry. The trail is well marked.
Sep 9, 2015 at 6:31pm PDT by houstonspace
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