Cairns, California facts for kids

Cairns was once a small community located in Placer County, California. It was situated about 11 miles (18 km) northeast of the city of Lincoln.

What Was Cairns?

Cairns is known as a "former settlement." This means it was a place where people used to live and work, but over time, everyone moved away, and the community no longer exists as an active town or village. Many small settlements in California, especially during the early 1900s, were created for specific reasons, like mining or farming. If those reasons disappeared, the people often left too.

A Short-Lived History

The most notable fact about Cairns is that it had its own post office, but only for a very short time. The Cairns post office was open from 1906 to 1907. A post office is a key sign that a community was trying to grow and connect with the outside world. However, a post office that only lasts one year suggests that Cairns was a very small place that didn't manage to become a lasting town. It likely never grew beyond a few buildings or families before people moved on to other areas.