Calico, (California) is a ghost town located in the Mojave Desert region of Southern
California. Founded in 1881 as a silver mining town, today it is a county park. It is located off of Interstate 15 near
Barstow. Giant CALICO letters can be seen on the hills behind the ghost town from the
freeway.
At its height, Calico boasted a population of 1,200 people, and over 500
mines. 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 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 using old
photographs. Though many of the original town buildings exist today, many others were restored as exact 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. |
