Calico Ghost Town

Silver was first discovered in the Calico Mountains in 1881 by a group of prospectors who had been working other Mojave claims through the late 1870s. The initial silver assay results were exceptional — the Calico ore was unusually rich, easily worked, and located near the surface in a way that allowed early shallow mining without the substantial capital investment that deeper Nevada silver operations required. Word spread quickly across the western mining circuit, and by 1882 the town of Calico had grown from a tent camp to a substantial mining settlement with permanent wood-frame and adobe buildings.

At peak production in the mid-1880s, the Calico district supported approximately 500 working mines of various sizes, with the largest operations (the Silver King, Garfield, Bismarck, and Burning Moscow mines among others) producing significant tonnage. Total silver production across the district's 25-year operating life is estimated at approximately $86 million in 1880s-1900s dollars — substantial wealth, though smaller than the Comstock Lode and other major Nevada silver operations. A secondary borax discovery in the Calico Mountains in the 1880s extended the district's economic life somewhat after the silver collapse, with borax mining continuing into the 1920s, but the town itself never recovered its 1880s population.

Daily life in 1880s Calico is well-documented in surviving period photographs, mining company records, and the weekly Calico Print newspaper (which operated from 1882 until the town's decline). The population was predominantly young single men working the mines, with a smaller population of mine engineers, merchants, hotel and restaurant operators, teamsters, and a few mining families. The town had the standard mining-camp mix of legitimate commerce and entertainment — saloons, dance halls, a small Chinese community that operated laundries and restaurants, and an active red-light district. Multiple cemeteries on the surrounding hills hold graves from mining accidents, disease outbreaks, and the period violence that was common in Western mining camps.

Walter Knott worked the Calico Mines as a young man in the early 1900s, during the district's terminal years. The experience left a lasting impression — Knott went on to found Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park in the 1920s, eventually growing it into one of the largest tourist attractions in southern California, but he never lost his attachment to the Mojave silver country. By the early 1950s Knott was financially successful enough to undertake substantial preservation projects, and Calico — by then largely vacant and decaying — was his most personal restoration ambition.

Knott purchased the Calico townsite in 1951 and began restoration work that continued through the decade. The approach was practical rather than purist: where original 1880s buildings could be stabilized, they were preserved; where they were beyond repair, they were reconstructed using period-appropriate materials and methods on the original footprints; and a few buildings were added that hadn't existed in the original town but fit the architectural vocabulary. Knott's intent was to produce a visitable representation of an 1880s mining town that average tourists could experience, not a strict archaeological preservation. The result is sometimes criticized by historic preservationists for blurring the line between authentic and reconstructed, but the alternative would likely have been continued decay and total loss.

Knott deeded Calico to San Bernardino County in 1966 with the stipulation that it remain a public park. The county has operated Calico as a regional park ever since, with the original Knott-era restoration supplemented by ongoing maintenance and occasional additional restoration work. In 2005 California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger designated Calico as California's official Silver Rush Ghost Town. The site is on the National Register of Historic Places and continues to attract roughly 250,000 visitors per year, most of them on day-trips from the Los Angeles basin, Las Vegas, or San Bernardino.

The core Calico experience is wandering the main street of restored and reconstructed buildings — about a dozen substantial structures plus several smaller buildings — and reading the interpretive signage that describes each. Major stops include the Lane's General Store (one of the more substantially original buildings), the Lil's Saloon (reconstructed in Knott-era authentic detail), the Calico Schoolhouse, the assay office, the Wells Fargo office, and several private homes that have been restored as period interiors. Most buildings can be entered freely; some have docent-staffed exhibits or operate as small shops selling Western-themed souvenirs, candy, leather goods, and Calico memorabilia.

Mine tours run throughout the day — the Maggie Mine tour is the main offering, a guided walk through a restored mine tunnel that descends about 1,000 feet into the hillside with interpretation of 1880s mining techniques, the lives of working miners, and the geology of the Calico ore body. The tour takes about 30 minutes and costs $4 per person beyond the regular admission. The Calico & Odessa Railroad — a narrow-gauge train ride around the perimeter of the townsite — provides a 20-minute scenic loop with desert views and additional historical narration; it costs $5 per person.

Other activities include panning for fool's gold (popular with families and inexpensive), the Calico Mystery Shack (a tilted-floor optical-illusion attraction in the Knott-era theme-park tradition), several scheduled gunfight reenactments per day on the main street, and a working campground at the edge of the property that operates year-round with both tent and RV sites. The campground is the standard overnight option for visitors who want to experience the desert at sunset and sunrise without driving back to Barstow.

Calico hosts several major annual festivals that significantly expand the visitor base and the on-site activity level. Calico Days, held over Columbus Day weekend in October, is the largest event — three days of period-costumed reenactments, gunfight shows, a parade, a chili cookoff, and live country and Western music. Calico Spring Festival in May features bluegrass music, gold panning competitions, and additional reenactments. Calico Ghost Haunt in October is the Halloween-themed event with paranormal tours, costume contests, and family-friendly haunted attractions. Civil War Days in February features Civil War reenactors and period military demonstrations.

Outside the festival weekends, the best times to visit Calico are weekday mornings from October through April — the desert temperature is mild, crowds are minimal, and the town has an authentically quiet feel that comes closer to its real ghost-town character. Weekend afternoons from April through October can be quite crowded, particularly during spring break, summer family-vacation season, and holiday weekends. Summer afternoons (June through August) are genuinely uncomfortable — temperatures regularly exceed 105°F, the buildings have minimal air conditioning, and the outdoor walking is taxing. If you must visit in summer, arrive at opening (9am) and plan to leave by noon.

Calico is generally a half-day visit — 3 to 4 hours covers the buildings, one mine tour, the railroad ride, and a lunch at the on-site restaurant. Visitors with strong interest in mining history can extend to a full day; visitors with limited interest can compress to 2 hours and still see the main features. Combining Calico with the Route 66 Mother Road Museum in Barstow produces a satisfying full-day Mojave history itinerary.

Calico is located at 36600 Ghost Town Road in Yermo, California — about 10 miles north of Barstow off Interstate 15. From Barstow, take I-15 north for 8 miles to the Ghost Town Road exit, then follow signs about 3 miles east into the hills to the parking lot. The drive is on paved roads throughout and is suitable for any vehicle including RVs. From Las Vegas (about 150 miles northeast via I-15), the drive is roughly 2.5 hours; from the Los Angeles basin (about 120 miles southwest), figure 2-3 hours depending on traffic through the Cajon Pass.

Admission is $8 per adult and $5 per child (ages 6-15), with children under 5 free. Annual passes are available for frequent visitors. The mine tour and railroad ride cost an additional $4-5 per person each beyond regular admission. Cash and credit cards are both accepted; there is an ATM on site. The town opens at 9am daily and closes at 5pm; the campground operates with separate gate hours.

On-site services include several restaurants (Lil's Saloon serves a basic American menu of burgers, sandwiches, and chili; the Calico House Restaurant offers more substantial sit-down meals), restrooms in multiple locations across the property, drinking water, and a small first-aid station. Cell phone coverage is generally available on Verizon and AT&T networks; T-Mobile is spotty. There is no fuel available on site — the nearest gas stations are at the I-15/Ghost Town Road exit or back in Barstow.