South Fork Mining

South Fork Mining is a very small company. Actually it is a hobby and passion that turned into a small business.

South Fork Mining is located in the beautiful small American town of Happy Camp, California, surrounded by the majestic Klamath National Forest. We're located on the South Fork of Indian Creek, a pristine wild creek flowing from the slopes of Preston Peak into Indian Creek which in turn drains into the mighty Klamath River.

I worked back east, took an early retirement after thirty years, and decided to get out of the rat race so I could pursue my hobby of prospecting while I was young enough and strong enough to enjoy this arduous endeavor. Originally I was stricken by an insidious bug known as Gold Fever, followed by a dose of Jade Fever. In order to recover from these ailments I took to mining Rhodonite, a black and pink stone of unusual beauty.

Together these three mining commodities make up my business: Gold... Happy Camp Jade... and Rhodonite...

I hope you will scroll through my web site and enjoy the pictures and stories that make up my life as a full time prospector and miner.

- Rich Kelly

The Happy Camp Jade Crew

In this photo we have the Happy Camp Jade crew.

On the left is Barry Brooks, A true gentleman and terrific dredger, Barry has been dredging and moving boulders for years.

In the middle is Rich Kelly, owner of the claim and owner of this web site.

To the right is legendary local Jade hunter Frank Rouse, known locally as Rattlesnake Frank (a story for another time).

It is Frank who got me hooked on Happy Camp Jade, and started me in the mining of our beautiful stones. We mined our big stones in the summer of 2005 and I can assure you it was an exciting and memorable summer.

See items currently for sale at the South Fork Mining eBay Store.