In 1844, 2 yrs prior to the Donner Party, the Stevens-Murphy company left Missouri to be the initial wagons into California through the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Mainly Irish Catholics, the party sought religious freedom and education in the mission-dominated property and liked a secure journey–until October, when a weighty snowstorm forced hard decisions. The to begin many for youthful Mary Sullivan, newlywed Sarah Montgomery, the widow Ellen Murphy, and her pregnant sister-in-law Maolisa. When about YET ANOTHER River to Cross the party separates in three directions, each risks losing those they like and faces the prospect of learning that adversity can eliminate or redefine. Two females and four men go overland around Lake Tahoe, three males stay to protect the heaviest wagons–and all of those other party, including eight ladies and seventeen kids, huddle in a makeshift cabin at the headwaters from the Yuba River looking forward to recovery . or their fatalities. Award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick plunges you deep right into a landscape of challenge where dread and courage go together for a tale of friendship, family, and hope that may remind you of what truly matters in times of trial.