Estate planning offers you the opportunity to do much more than just decide who will receive your assets when you are gone. Among other things, a well thought out estate plan can also help you grow those assets throughout your lifetime and make sure they are used to provide for your loved ones at the end of your life. At the Northern California Center for Estate Planning & Elder Law, we know that the prospect of selecting an attorney to assist you with the creation of your estate plan may be a bit daunting. We are committed to creating not just an estate plan with you, but a lifelong relationship so that you feel comfortable and confident about the estate plan we create together.
Truckee, California
Truckee, California is an incorporated town in Nevada County which is located along the border with the State of Nevada. Truckee covers approximately 35 square miles and as of the 2010 Census was home to 16,180 residents.
Truckee has a rich and interesting history that was recently acknowledged by a listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Truckee is named for a Paiute Indian chief who helped guide thousands of emigrants in their westward journey through 40-mile desert. When the emigrants encountered his tribe, the friendly chief rode toward them yelling, “Tro-kay!”, which is Paiute for “Everything is all right”. The travelers assumed he was yelling his name and eventually named the area where they settled after him.
Although no particular tribe is considered to have inhabited Truckee year-round, the Washoe Tribe occupied a large territory roughly centered in the modern day Carson City area, but Shoshone and Paiute Tribes were also present. Like most of the modern history of the West, as the European settlers’ population increased, the Native American population decreased. The Gold Rush of 1849 caused a surge in fortune-seeking settlers (although Truckee itself wasn’t settled until later). It is not known exactly when the last Native Americans passed naturally through Truckee, but they were visually recorded in the 1850s.
The Donner Party ordeal is arguably Truckee’s most famous historical event. In 1846, a group of settlers from Illinois, originally known as the Donner-Reed Party but now usually referred to as the Donner Party, became snowbound in early fall as a result of several trail mishaps, poor decision-making, and an early onset of winter that year. Choosing multiple times to take shortcuts to save distance compared to the traditional Oregon Trail, coupled with infighting, a disastrous crossing of the Utah salt flats, and the attempt to use the pass near the Truckee River (now Donner Pass) all caused delays in their journey. Finally, a large, early blizzard brought the remaining settlers to a halt at the edge of what is now Donner Lake, about 1,200 feet below the steep granite summit of the Sierra Nevada mountains and 90 miles east of their final destination of Sutter’s Fort (near Sacramento). Several attempts at carting their few remaining wagons, oxen, and supplies over the summit—sometimes by pulling them up by rope—proved impossible due to freezing conditions and a lack of any preexisting trail. The party returned, broken in spirit and short of supplies, to the edge of Donner Lake. A portion of the camp members also returned to the Alder Creek campsite a few miles to the east. During the hard winter the travelers endured starvation and were later found to have practiced cannibalism. Fifteen members constructed makeshift snowshoes and set out for Sutter’s Fort in the late fall but were thwarted by freezing weather and disorientation. Only seven survived: two were lost, and six died. The Truckee camp survivors were saved by a Reed Party member who had set out ahead after having been ejected from the party months earlier for killing another man in a violent argument. Seeing that the group never arrived at Sutter’s Fort, he initiated several relief parties. Of the original 87 settlers in the Donner-Reed party, 48 survived the ordeal. The Donner Memorial State Park is dedicated to the settlers and is located at the East End of Donner Lake.
In the early part of the 20th century, Hollywood began establishing Truckee as a center for the budding motion picture industry. Truckee also began to be a popular winter sport destination, eventually boasting the first ski lift.
Northern California Center for Estate Planning & Elder Law in the Truckee, California Community
To the staff at Northern California Center for Estate Planning & Elder Law our clients are much more than just clients – they are our neighbors, little league coaches, teachers, friends, and even family members. We are honored, therefore, to be able to help each and every one of them with their estate planning needs both now and in the future.
We understand how difficult it can be to share your personal needs and wishes with a stranger which is why we strive to develop ongoing relationships with our clients. Estate planning is not something that should be accomplished in a single meeting, nor is it something that is ever truly “done.” Instead, creating your estate plan should be a lifelong process that changes as your life changes. While certain strategies and tools, such as probate and tax avoidance, should be part of your estate plan from the beginning, others will be added along the journey of your life. Your estate plan may initially focus primarily on protecting you and your young family from the financial devastation your unexpected incapacity or death could cause, your estate plan should expand and grow as the years go by and your needs change. When you marry, for instance, it may be time to incorporate incapacity planning into your overall estate plan. If you decide to become an entrepreneur you will need to add business succession planning into your estate plan and as you contemplate retirement you will want to also consider Medi-Cal long-term care planning for your estate plan. Once you are comfortably in your retirement years, you may start to worry about end of life issues which may also prompt you to execute an advance directive and to consider the need for funeral planning.
At Northern California Center for Estate Planning & Elder Law, our goal is to establish a lifelong relationship with you to ensure that your estate planning needs are met now, and in the years to come.
Contact Us
If you have specific questions regarding your estate plan, contact us at Northern California Center for Estate Planning & Elder Law by calling (916)-437-3500 to schedule your appointment today.
