Klamath River

The Klamath River area was home to the Hupa (Hoopa), Karuk, Modoc, and Yurok Indian tribes. Native Americans relied on the river for its abundance of salmon and trout.

The California Gold Rush of 1848–1855 brought many miners to the Klamath River watershed. Unfortunately, the miners caused disruption in the lives of the Native Americans of the area by damming and diverting water for mining purposes, which made it difficult for spawning salmon and other fish populations to survive. There are remnants of old mining sites along the river.