Kelso, New Zealand

Kelso was a small settlement in Otago, New Zealand, located ten kilometres north of Tapanui on the Kelso River, close to its junction with the larger Pomahaka River. Its population during the 1960s and 1970s was close to 300, with most of its economy based around dairy farming and a small dairy factory.

The township was first surveyed in 1875, and the first settlement began the following year. It was named for the Scottish home town of one of the town's first settlers, James Logan. Originally intended as the main settlement in the West Otago area, this title eventually went to nearby Tapanui. The town was linked by rail in 1878 with the construction of a Tapanui-Waipahi line.

The township was frequently subject to flooding, notably in 1913 and 1917. it was inundated with flood water during two major floods of the Clutha River catchment in 1978 and 1980, and after the latter flood it was decided to relocate the settlement.

Today, little remains to indicate the location of Kelso, other that a stone memorial and faded wording referring to the township on several remaining buildings.

References

Conway, G. "In memory of a town that drowned." "Otago Daily Times" (Dunedin) 31 May 2008, p. 19.