Calneva, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Calneva
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 Calneva
Location in California
Calneva
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Lassen County |
| Elevation | 4,009 ft (1,222 m) |
Calneva (pronounced cal-NEE-vuh) is a small, quiet place in Lassen County, California. It is an "unincorporated community." This means it's a group of homes or buildings without its own local government, like a city or town would have. Calneva is special because it sits right on the border between California and Nevada. Its name, "Calneva," is a mix of "California" and "Nevada." It is located about 10 miles (16 km) north of Doyle, high up at 4009 feet (1222 meters) above sea level.
About Calneva
Calneva was first developed with the hope of finding enough fresh water to support a community. However, this proved to be a big problem. The water they found was too salty to drink.
Why Calneva Didn't Grow
Several challenges stopped Calneva from growing into a larger town:
- The water was too salty for people to drink.
- Farmers faced hard times when crop prices dropped in the 1920s.
- Attempts to find valuable minerals through mining did not succeed.
- Plans for an additional train line to the area were canceled.
Because of these problems, the community started to shrink. Eventually, it became too small to even have its own post office or train station.
A Health Checkpoint
In 1916, a serious illness called polio was spreading. To help stop the disease from reaching California, a special health officer was placed at Calneva. This officer's job was to check passengers traveling from places like New York, New Jersey, and Chicago. They wanted to make sure no one brought the illness into California.
Post Office History
Even though Calneva faced challenges, it did have a post office for a while. It operated during two different periods:
- From 1911 to 1919
- From 1920 to 1933
