En Cimo, California facts for kids

En Cimo was once a small place in Mendocino County, California. It's known as a "former settlement," which means it was a community where people lived and worked, but it no longer exists as an active town today. En Cimo was located about 3 miles (4.8 km) north-northwest of a place called Sylvandale. Its existence was closely tied to a special type of railroad track called a "spur line."

What is a Former Settlement?

A former settlement is a place that used to be a town or community but is now abandoned or has very few people living there. These places are often called "ghost towns" if they are completely empty. They are important because they tell us about history and how people lived in the past.

Why Do Towns Disappear?

Towns can disappear for many reasons. Sometimes, the main industry that supported the town, like mining or logging, runs out of resources. When the jobs go away, people move somewhere else to find work.

Another reason is changes in transportation. If a town was built around a railroad or a specific road, and that route is no longer used, the town might decline. Natural disasters, like floods or fires, can also cause people to leave a settlement.

Railroads and Settlements

In the 1800s and early 1900s, railroads were incredibly important for building new towns, especially in places like California. Trains could carry goods and people much faster than wagons or boats. New settlements often grew up along railroad lines because they provided a way to get products to market and bring supplies in.

The Role of Spur Lines

A "spur line" is a short railroad track that branches off from a main line. These smaller tracks were often built to reach specific places, like a logging camp, a mine, or a factory. They were not meant for long-distance travel but for moving resources from a specific point to the main railway network.

En Cimo was located at the very end, or "terminus," of one of these railroad spur lines. This suggests that the settlement likely existed to support an industry that needed to transport goods by train. For example, it might have been a logging camp where timber was loaded onto trains. When the timber ran out, or the railroad line was no longer needed, the settlement of En Cimo would have been abandoned.