Calico, California

What is Calico?

Calico is a hillside main street of Old West storefronts, shops, a saloon and a schoolhouse, with the word CALICO spelled out in giant letters on the peaks behind it, easy to spot from the freeway. Most buildings are rebuilds, but a handful are original, including Lil's Saloon and the Lane house, which holds the town museum. The county runs it as a park with a restaurant, cabins and a campground, and separately ticketed attractions include the Maggie Mine walk-through, the narrow-gauge Calico and Odessa railroad, gold panning and a house of optical illusions.

History of Calico

On April 6, 1881, prospectors staked the Silver King Mine, and a town grew around it. Calico soon had its own newspaper, hotels and a school, and by the mid-1880s the district produced most of the silver mined in the county. Over about 30 years its mines turned out an estimated $86 million in silver and $45 million in borax. Falling silver prices in the 1890s ended the boom, and when borax mining stopped in 1907 the town emptied out.

Walter Knott, whose uncle John King had backed the Silver King prospectors, knew Calico from his youth. He bought it in 1951, rebuilt it from 1880s photographs and gave it to San Bernardino County in 1966. It is California Historical Landmark No. 782, and in 2005 Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed it the state's official Silver Rush Ghost Town.

Visiting Calico: tips

From Route 66 in Barstow, take Interstate 15 east to the Ghost Town Road exit and follow it north into the hills. The town charges admission, and the mine, train and panning cost extra. Because of the town's historic layout, parts of it are not wheelchair accessible. Stay out of the old mine openings in the surrounding hills, which the county warns are dangerous. Restrooms and parking are on site. Liberty Sculpture Park is about 3 miles away for a second stop.