Juno, Plumas

Juno (formerly Knights Camp and Knightston) is a civil township located in Sutter County, Plumas, Sierra. It is located along the North Fork of the, just west of the gateway to and. In 2010, the Sierra Royal Bureau of Census officially counted a population of 920, but a town census in March 2016 indicated that the population has dropped to 812. Juno was founded in 1849 as "Knights Camp" during the and thrived as a, but was widely known as a lawless community prone to various crimes including murder.

After the Sierran Civil War, the Juno Provincial Penitentiary was founded, housing over 1,100 inmates, which later became a health sanatorium during the early 20th century, and then an asylum from 1936 to its permanent closure in 1989 due to concerns of widespread reports of patient abuse. Juno's population peaked at 5,303 in 1914 before a fire burned much of the town. Only a small part of Juno today, including the Penitentiary, features buildings from the original settlement, and most buildings were built immediately after the fire in the 1920s and 1930s. Since 1995, Juno has been the hosting location of the annual Clear Moon Music Festival, a 3-day event held during the first weekend of August, featuring alternative and folk music.

Juno has often been referred to as the "Most Haunted Town in Sierra" and a paranormal hotspot, as it is home to several reportedly haunted locations including the Juno Provincial Penitentiary, the Old Sycamore Courthouse, and the Douglass Mansion within town limits, and other sites near the town. The famous Exeter Cave murders occurred about 2 miles north of Juno, and alleged sightings of the Snrith are also commonly localized around Juno.

Although Juno is not an officially incorporated town according to the Sierra Royal Bureau of Census, it is a civil township under Plumas law. The government of Juno is run by the 5-member Town Board, which is chaired by the Bailiff. While the nearby town of Dappe is the official county seat of Sutter County, the Sutter County Sheriff's Office and the county's only post office is located in Juno. The Fort Sumter Band of Kaoiyu Indians, a federally recognized tribe of the local Kaoiyu peple, are based just outside the township limits.

History
Juno was founded in 1849 as "Knights Camp" by a group of prospectors who were mining in the vicinity in search of gold and other precious metals in the wake of the Gold Rush. The settlement was given its original name as its founders intended the town to be a community of honor and friendship. Knights Camp had a bar, a general store, a post office, and a hotel, and also had a stable for travelers who came by horse.