Happy Camp (

Karuk The Karuk people ()Andrew Garrett, Susan Gehr, Erik Hans Maier, Line Mikkelsen, Crystal Richardson, and Clare Sandy. (November 2, 2021) ''Karuk; To appear in The Languages and Linguistics of Indigenous North America: A Comprehensive Guide (De G ...

: ''athithúf-vuunupma'') is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in

Siskiyou County, California Siskiyou County ( ) is a county (United States), county located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 44,076. Its county seat is Yreka, California, Yre ...

, United States. Its population is 905 as of the 2020 census, down from 1,190 from the 2010 census. The town of Happy Camp, "The Heart of the Klamath," is located on State Route 96, about west of

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...

and northeast of Willow Creek. The town of

Takilma, Oregon Takilma is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Josephine County, Oregon, United States, south of Cave Junction. It is located on the East Fork Illinois River, about a mile southeast of the ghost town of Waldo. As o ...

is accessible from Happy Camp (which is nearly away). The shortest route to Oregon, over the Grey Back Pass, is a seasonal summer road and is not cleared or maintained in snowy conditions. The Forest Service, located in Happy Camp on SR 96, provides road closure information.

Name

Happy Camp was so named by miners in the early days of prosperity. It has frequently been noted on lists of

unusual place names Place names considered unusual can include those which are also offensive words, inadvertently humorous (especially if mispronounced) or highly charged words, as well as place names of unorthodox spelling and pronunciation, including especiall ...

. H.C. Chester, who interviewed Jack Titus in 1882–83, states that Titus named the camp because his partner James Camp, upon arriving there, exclaimed, "This is the happiest day in my life." Redick McKee mentions the camp on November 8, 1851, as "Mr Roache's Happy Camp" at the place known as Murderer's Bar. (Indian Report 1853:178)

Geography

Happy Camp sits on the

Klamath River The Klamath River (Karuk language, Karuk: ''Ishkêesh'', Klamath language, Klamath: ''Koke'', Yurok language, Yurok: ''Hehlkeek 'We-Roy'') is a long river in southern Oregon and northern California. Beginning near Klamath Falls, Oregon, Klama ...

and a nexus of creeks including Elk Creek, Little Grider Creek, Indian Creek, Doolittle Creek, Ikes Creek, Deer Lick Creek and Cade Creek. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP covers an area of , of it is land and of it (1.94%) is water. The town of Happy Camp is also known as the "Gateway to the

Marbles A marble is a small spherical object often made from glass, clay, steel, plastic, or agate. These toys can be used for a variety of games called marbles, as well being placed in marble runs or races, or created as a form of art. They are ofte ...

". There are many trailheads for this wilderness area within of the town for which the U.S. Forest Service provides trail information. The Marble Mountains cover thousands of acres, and contain almost a hundred lakes. Among the most interesting lakes are Spirit Lake, which contains a luminescent chemical and has been seen to "glow" in the dark; Ukonom Lake, which is very large and beautiful even though the area is recovering from fire damage; and the Green and Blue Granite Lakes, where trout swim in the cold and clear waters. Deer, bear, elk, and mountain lion are common here.

Demographics

The 2020 United States census reported that Happy Camp had a population of 905. The population density was . The racial makeup of Happy Camp was 483 (53.4%)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 5 (0.6%)

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 289 (31.9%) Native American, 2 (0.2%) Asian, 1 (0.1%)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 30 (3.3%) from other races, and 95 (10.5%) from two or more races.

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...

of any race were 73 persons (8.1%). The whole population lived in households. There were 405 households, out of which 56 (13.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 136 (33.6%) were married-couple households, 40 (9.9%) were

cohabiting Cohabitation is an arrangement where people who are not legally married live together as a couple. They are often involved in a romantic or sexually intimate relationship on a long-term or permanent basis. Such arrangements have become incr ...

couple households, 108 (26.7%) had a female householder with no partner present, and 121 (29.9%) had a male householder with no partner present. 164 households (40.5%) were one person, and 80 (19.8%) were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.23. There were 197

families Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...

(48.6% of all households). The age distribution was 171 people (18.9%) under the age of 18, 41 people (4.5%) aged 18 to 24, 202 people (22.3%) aged 25 to 44, 249 people (27.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 242 people (26.7%) who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 49.7years. For every 100 females, there were 100.7 males. There were 505 housing units at an average density of , of which 405 (80.2%) were occupied. Of these, 243 (60.0%) were owner-occupied, and 162 (40.0%) were occupied by renters. The Bigfoot Jamboree is an annual festival hosted by the Happy Camp Community Council. Happy Camp is situated along the "Bigfoot Scenic Byway," an 89-mile stretch of

California State Route 96 State Route 96 (SR 96) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that follows the Trinity and Klamath Rivers between State Route 299 in Willow Creek and Interstate 5 near Yreka in Northern California. For most of the route it goes thr ...

named by the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 United States National Forest, national forests and 20 United States Natio ...

. The town has an 18-foot-tall Bigfoot statue made of recycled metal.

Climate

Happy Camp has a

mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

. It is marked by very hot summer days, being shielded in the valley behind the mountains from the cooling Pacific influence affecting nearby coastal locations. The winters are much cooler and snowier than in inland locations further south, albeit still very mild compared to areas in the east of the continent. The dry and hot summers can fuel the abundant vegetation from the rainy winters, make the surrounding forest prone to

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...

s, as occurred during the 2014 Happy Camp Complex Fire, which took months to extinguish and burned nearly to the Oregon border. High winter rainfall, however, keeps the area greener than its summer climate would suggest. Average lows remain cool year-round, relieving the intense daytime heat and keeping the average July temperature at around , in sharp contrast to the average highs.

Economy

The

Karuk Tribe The Karuk Tribe is a federally recognized Indian tribe of Karuk people. They are an indigenous people of California, located in the northwestern corner of the state, in Humboldt and Siskiyou counties. The Karuk Tribe is one of the largest ...

is headquartered in Happy Camp. The

U.S. Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands covering of land. The major divisions of the agency are the Chief's ...

maintains an office in town. Happy Camp is the administrative site for the Happy Camp/Oak Knoll Ranger Districts of the Klamath National Forest.

Education

* Happy Camp Elementary School *

Happy Camp High School Happy Camp High School is a public high school located in Happy Camp, California. It is a member of the Siskiyou Union High School District The Siskiyou Union High School District is a public secondary education school district in Siskiyou C ...

Government

In the

state legislature A state legislature is a Legislature, legislative branch or body of a State (country subdivision), political subdivision in a Federalism, federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of ...

Happy Camp is in , and . Federally, Happy Camp is in .

Klamath River

Gold prospectors, conservation groups, the California Department of Fish and Game, the U.S. Forest Service, and the

Hupa The Hupa (Yurok: / 'Hupa people') are a Native American people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group in northwestern California. Their endonym is for Hupa-language speakers in general, and for residents of Hoopa Valley, also sp ...

(Hoopa) and

Yurok The Yurok people are an Algic-speaking Indigenous people of California that has existed along the or "Health-kick-wer-roy" (now known as the Klamath River) and on the Pacific coast, from Trinidad south of the Klamath’s mouth almost to Cresc ...

tribes are at odds with each other over what constitutes fair and ethical use of the river. The range of issues includes

property rights The right to property, or the right to own property (cf. ownership), is often classified as a human right for natural persons regarding their Possession (law), possessions. A general recognition of a right to private property is found more rarely ...

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

, and

Native American civil rights Native American civil rights are the civil rights of Native Americans in the United States. Native Americans are citizens of their respective Native nations as well as of the United States, and those nations are characterized under United Sta ...

Notable people

* Daniel R. Hokanson,

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

Jetty Rae Jetty Rae (born January 13, 1987) is an unsigned American indie folk singer-songwriter (also part of the group Pen Pals) whose career began in Kona, Hawaii, but now resides in Michigan. Notable appearances include Lilith Fair 2010, CMJ Music ...

, musician and independent artist, lived in Happy Camp during her childhood *

Ricky Ray Ricky Ray (born October 22, 1979) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback. Ray spent the majority of his professional career with the Edmonton Eskimos and Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL) ...

, pro-football quarterback, was born in Happy Camp and went to Shasta High and Shasta CollegeLawrence, Thomas
Ray's success a valuable lesson in heart: Shasta High and Shasta College QB has had incredible Canadian career
, The Redding Searchlight, November 30, 2012

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Siskiyou County, California Census-designated places in California