🗺️ What Are Locans, Ivesta, and Clotho?
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If you’ve ever zoomed in on Google Maps around Fresno, you might have noticed unusual place names like Locans, Ivesta, and Clotho. They aren’t neighborhoods, cities, or towns most locals are familiar with—but they show up anyway. So what are they?
It turns out these are abandoned rail stops—tiny historic sidings that once played a vital role in Fresno County’s agricultural and transportation boom. Today, they remain as faint names on the map, holding stories of the past beneath modern farmland.
🚂 Historical Rail Sidings in Fresno — By Railroad Company
These former railroad sidings in Fresno were established by different companies, mainly for shipping crops, lumber, and supplies. Here’s a breakdown of key sidings and farming settlements—many now forgotten—organized by their original railroad operators.
🚆 Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) / Stockton & Tulare Railroad
- Locans
- Location: Temperance Ave, south of Butler Ave, Fresno, CA
- Coordinates: 36.7311°N, 119.6842°W
- History: A rail siding used to support local farming operations along the Southern Pacific’s Stockton & Tulare line. Though not one of the earliest, it was essential to nearby ranchers.
- Ivesta
- Location: Leonard Ave near Belmont Ave, Fresno, CA
- Coordinates: 36.7375°N, 119.6600°W
- History: Marked on the 1891 Thompson Atlas of Fresno County, Ivesta was an active stop along the SP line—likely used for seasonal crop transport.
- Clotho (aka Granville)
- Location: McCall Ave, about 1 mile east of Leonard Ave
- Coordinates: 36.7375°N, 119.6450°W
- History: Another small siding listed on early maps, Clotho likely served agricultural or granary purposes. Its alternate name “Granville” is sometimes found in older documents.
🚆 Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (Santa Fe)
- Lone Star
- Location: South of Jensen Ave & Fowler Ave
- Coordinates: 36.6900°N, 119.7000°W
- History: A siding on the Visalia District branch of Santa Fe Railway. Lone Star was tied to farming activity and may still be referenced by locals in ag operations.
🛤️ Union Pacific Railroad (UP)
- Wolf Siding
- Location: Unknown – believed to be in southeast Fresno County
- Status: Historical records exist, but the exact site has faded. Local historical societies may be able to help verify the precise spot and its role.
🧭 Why Do These Names Still Appear?
These names persist on maps due to historical land surveys, railroad documentation, and legacy data embedded in systems like Google Maps and USGS topographic maps. Even if there’s no active town or station there, the Fresno hidden history lives on in satellite view.