Origin of the name of Happy Camp
April 1, 2001
There are several versions of the story of how Happy Camp got its name. This is one of them.
Origin of the name of Happy Camp
Writen in Happy Camp on June 11th, 1947
By H.C. Chester
About 1882 or 3 I asked Jack Titus who was a partner with James and Hile Camp in the first store opened at Happy Camp, how Happy Camp got its name.
Titus told me he had a small store at the mouth of Titus about fourteen miles below Happy Camp. He said: James and Hile Camp came over the mountains to his store from Eureka. They asked him if there was any level ground up the river where they could open up a business.
Titus told them there was a place about 14 miles up the river at the mouth of a large stream that emptied into Klamath; that there was a very large Indian Village on the banks of this stream and plenty of vacant land to build on. The three of them went up to this large stream and pitched a small tent.
James Camp immediately took in the opportunities that were presented to them, and declared, “This is the happiest day of my life.”
Titus said: “Then we shall call this particular spot ‘Happy Camp’.” They also named the stream “Indian Creek” because there were so many Indians living there.
The three of them made and burned brick, put up a brick building which stands here to-day.
Truly Yours,
H.C. Chester
Happy Camp, Calif.
The original, handwritten copy of this letter is in the archives of the Siskiyou County Historical Society, in Yreka.
Happy Camp historian Judy Bushy believes this version of the naming of Happy Camp is wrong because the Camp brothers were not in the original group of miners who came here. She wrote a letter to the editor about this, but unfortunately over the years it has been misplaced. We may have to wait for her book to be published to find out the true history of the naming of Happy Camp.
Related Websites
Happy Camp History
I have been tracing some Geneology here my self.. and was wondering if Jack Titus is also John Titus…from New York…. at least that is who I find on 1870 Census Records there in Happy Camp… he is shown Married to a Julia… A Karuk Indian
I also find him on the 1860 Census in a place called Bunker Hill… do you know where that was ?
Thanks Didi
I’m resreaching Doris Brown Kendall’s line
Comment by Didi — May 16, 2008 @ 5:32 pm
I heard that Happy Camp was named after a Kurak Native named Happy. I guess Happy was happy for finding gold and naming his daughter after gold. Happy’s Daughter was named Goldie. Goldie’s surviving children are Michael and Colleen Thornton of Humboldt County, California. I am their second cousin by their Father Jack Thornton.
Comment by Rodney Thornton — July 25, 2008 @ 4:05 pm