Kelso, Fresno County, California facts for kids

Kelso was once a small community, or "settlement," located in Fresno County, California. Today, it no longer exists as a town, but its history tells us about how places grew and sometimes faded away in the past.

The Story of Kelso

Kelso was situated about 10 miles (or 16 kilometers) northeast of the city of Fresno. It was a small place that existed for only a short time. Many settlements like Kelso popped up in California during the late 1800s as people moved west, hoping to find new opportunities.

Why Was It Called Kelso?

The name "Kelso" was given to the settlement to honor its very first postmaster, a person named Napoleon B. Kelso. A postmaster is the person in charge of a local post office, handling mail for the community.

The Post Office

A post office is a really important part of any community because it connects people through letters and packages. Kelso had its own post office, which operated from 1891 to 1893. This means it was open for only two years. After 1893, the post office closed, and the settlement eventually disappeared. This often happened to small towns that couldn't grow or didn't have enough people to keep them going.