The Happy Camp Retreat Project  

Happy Camp is a small town in Siskiyou County, California, named by miners occupying the area in the early days of the California Gold Rush. Long before that, the region was inhabited by the the Native American Karuk Tribe, which maintains its tribal headquarters there to this day.

Located on the Klamath River roughly 40 miles from the Oregon border, Happy Camp was first a booming mining area, then a successful logging town which saw its heyday during the 1970s and 80s. The last sawmill shut down in 1994, and Happy Camp was a town divided — miners and loggers clashed with environmentalists, and over half of the town’s households were on some form of public assistance.

There is also an old ghost town in the area, which My Philanthropies is in the process of repurposing. Currently the ramshackle old town is all but abandoned, but – with dedication and love – it is our mission to restore it to its former glory. The land is surrounded by a wilderness full of old growth stands of pine, fir, and cedar trees, crystal clear mountain streams, a constellation of hiking trails, and the rushing rapids of the mighty Klamath.

Our renovation aims to create the third “boom” on this charming site, by restoring the old town and building an accompanying artists’ colony and retreat center. With its isolated location surrounded by nature’s beauty and grandeur, it is a perfect place for people to recharge, contemplate, and create. All we need is a dedicated team of like-minded enthusiasts to help us realize this transformation!

If you’re interested in helping, please contact us using the form below: