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Overview:
Eleven-year-old Kit is sent to live with her aunt and
uncle in San Francisco after her mother dies in childbirth and her father
is off gold mining in the Sacramento Valley.
Her aunt and uncle are tolerant of her “uncivilized” ways but
her twin cousins Clarissa and Marisa make her year long stay unbearable.
So when her father leaves for the gold mines of Northern
California, a day after his return, Kit takes drastic measures to ensure
she doesn’t get left behind again.
She cuts her hair and dons pants and work shirt to disguise herself
as a boy, then stows away on the ship to Union, California, known now as
Arcata. Not having enough
money to buy her a ticket back to San Francisco, her father says she can
travel with him dressed as a boy to the gold mines along the Klamath
River. Traveling with the
mule train Kit sees first hand the brutality of some of the miners, and
the mistreatment of their animals. Once
they reached Clear Creek, Kit makes friends with a young Indian girl, who
introduces herself as Yeenipaxzuh and spends most of the summer swimming
and hanging out in the village. During
late summer Kit is invited to participate in a native religious ceremony
known as a Pikyavish. She
makes a ceremonial dress in a week and is very excited about dancing in
the week long ceremony. Only
the people of the village know that Kit is a girl.
After the conclusion of the first night of ceremonies the miners
burn the village and kill Yeenipaxzuh’s father as well as others.
Yeenipaxzuh, helps Kit and her wounded father navigate the Klamath
River and watches as they set sail back to San Francisco from the shores
of Klamath.
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