Carus is an unincorporated

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 community in Clackamas County

Clackamas County, Oregon

Clackamas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The county was named after the Native Americans living in the area, the Clackamas Indians, who were part of the Chinookan people. As of 2010, the population was 375,992...

, Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

, United States. It is located about seven miles south of Oregon City

Oregon City, Oregon

Oregon City was the first city in the United States west of the Rocky Mountains to be incorporated. It is the county seat of Clackamas County, Oregon...

, on Oregon Route 213.

Carus post office ran from 1887 to 1907. The name may have come from a misreading of the name "Carns" on the application to the Post Office Department

United States Post Office Department

The Post Office Department was the name of the United States Postal Service when it was a Cabinet department. It was headed by the Postmaster General....

. It is unknown whether it was to be named for a place in another state or for a local family.

In 1915 the community had two sawmill

Sawmill

A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....

s, a daily stagecoach

Stagecoach

A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...

 to Oregon City and a twice-daily stagecoach to Canby

Canby, Oregon

Canby is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. The population was 15,829 at the 2010 census. It is located on Oregon Route 99E, two miles northeast of Barlow.-History:...

. As of 1990 there was a school and a church. Carus Elementary School is part of the Canby School District

Canby School District

Canby School District is an public school district based in Canby, Oregon, United States, and serving students in Canby and the surrounding rural area of Clackamas County, including the community of Carus, parts of the city of Wilsonville, and as far south as the Ninety-one School near Hubbard...

. A cemetery near the community is owned by the Followers of Christ.