River Girl

A novel about a girl who moved to the Klamath River Valley near Happy Camp, California, long ago.

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The Chinese Prospectors of Happy Camp

January 5, 2016 by Linda Jo Martin

Chinese Miners in California

At one time half the immigrant population of Happy Camp, CA consisted of Chinese prospectors. The 1880 census listed 597 citizens. 97 were Karuks, 250 were white, and 250 were Chinese. The Chinese lived in the area south of what is now Second Avenue, behind the Camp Mercantile building. At that time Second Avenue was […]

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River Girl is available online at Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions.



In 1918 Claire Welch, age 9, moves from the San Francisco Bay Area to the coastal town of Eureka, far to the north. She must leave her dearest friend behind.

From there Claire heads toward a difficult life, traveling inland toward Happy Camp, a small town in the middle of a huge forest.

Near Happy Camp, in the Klamath River Valley, she faces the pain of loneliness and learns the true meaning of friendship.

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