Everything about Calico California totally explained
Calico is a
ghost town located in the
Mojave Desert region of
Southern California. Founded in 1881 as a
silver mining town, today it's a county
park. It is located in
unincorporated San Bernardino County off of
Interstate 15, 3 miles from
Barstow. Giant letters spelling
CALICO can be seen on the
Calico Mountains behind the ghost town from the freeway.
At its height, Calico boasted a population of 1,200 people, and over 500 silver mines. Now however, the town is populated by no more than 12 people, while the mines are inactive. Besides the usual assortment of bars, brothels, gambling halls and a few churches, Calico also supported a newspaper, the
Calico Print. During the mid
1890s the price of silver dropped and Calico's silver mines were no longer economically viable. With the end of
borax mining in the region in 1907 the town became completely abandoned. The last original inhabitant of Calico before it was abandoned, Mrs. Lucy Bell Lane, died in the 1960s. Her house remains as the main museum in town.
In 1951,
Walter Knott, founder of
Knott's Berry Farm, purchased the town and began restoring it to its original condition referencing old photographs. Though five of the original town buildings exist today, many others were recreated as replicas of their originals on preexisting foundations.
In 1966, Walter Knott donated the town to San Bernardino County, and Calico became a county regional park.
Today, the park operates mine tours, gunfight stunt shows,
gold panning, a
restaurant, the
Calico & Odessa Railroad and a number of general merchandise stores. It is open daily, and requires an entrance fee. During the tours, one may see silver ore so rich that there are gray spots of silver in the rock.
Some believe that Calico is haunted by the spirits of miners. The town was the basis for the
Kenny Rogers and the First Edition album
The Ballad of Calico.
Calico is a registered California historic monument, and is one of a number of ghost towns in California (other examples are
Drawbridge and
Bodie). It is the "official state silver rush ghost town" of California.
(External Link
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The
ZIP Code is 92398 and the community is inside
area code 760.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Calico California'.
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