The Second Life of Calico Ghost Town

When people started leaving the town of Calico, following the decline of silver mining activities in the area, it could easily have fallen into obscurity and become just another ghost town. But it improbably gained a second life and today sees more visitors and residents than it ever did in its heyday.

The Rise and Fall of Calico

The town was established in 1881, at the height of California’s largest silver strike. The Silver King Mine was discovered below the Calico Mountains in the Mojave Desert. The mine was the largest producer of silver in the state during the mid-1880s, generating some $20 million worth of precious metal over fifteen years, and boosted the growth of the town. During 1883-85, when silver production was at its peak, the area had a population of some 3,500, with another 1,200 people living in the Calico Mining District.

At its height, Calico had five general stores, three restaurants, three hotels, boarding houses, bars and even brothels, and had a deputy sheriff and a justice of the peace. There was also telephone and telegraph service and even a Wells Fargo office. The county even established a voting precinct and a school district. And, of course, there was a “boot hill” graveyard to accommodate the many people who died or were killed, in the town. Many of which had no family to take care of them or there was just no time to give them a proper funeral.

Dorsey the Mail Carrier

As was expected in a town that attracted residents from all over the US and even the world, Calico had no shortage of colorful characters. One of the most notable of these was Dorsey, a border collie who was a recognized mail carrier and carried mail to the Bismarck Mining Camp. Dorsey became a celebrity, and her story graced newspapers from all over the country.

The start of the End

Calico started to depopulate in the mid-1890s when the value of silver dropped by half, and it was no longer economically smart to dig. The mines were also becoming barren, and the miners and other residents packed up and left, seeking greener pastures elsewhere. However, they still boast of enormous deposits of low-grade silver, and there is still the possibility that the mines may someday reopen.

For a while, the town was able to limp along as residence which still lived there were able to mine borate, but even this was not enough to keep it alive. The post office closed in 1898, and by 1929, Calico had effectively become a ghost town with only a handful of old-time residents staying behind to keep Calico from being picked clean by human scavengers.

One of the residents who chose to remain was Lucy Bell Lane, who arrived in Calico with her family in 1884. She was ten years old. Following her marriage at eighteen to John Lane, Lucy ran a grocery store. Even as Calico started dying around them, the couple stayed behind. John died in 1934, but Lucy would remain in Calico until the early sixties when the town became a popular tourist attraction. She died in 1967 in Nevada.

The Resurrection of Calico

Walter Marvin Knott, the creator of the first theme park in the world, Knott’s Berry Farm, had worked in the mines when he was a child. When the opportunity arose, Knott purchased Calico in 1950 and gave it a second lease on life.

Over the next five years, Knott restored the town to its original appearance, using vintage photographs from an earlier time as a reference. However, historians believe that not all of the original artifacts from the town were included in the restoration, as some of them ended up at Knott’s Berry Farm.

In 1962, the town had registered as Historical Landmark 782, and in 1966, Calico became a County Regional Park when Knott donated it to San Bernardino County. In 2005, then-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed the town California’s Silver Rush Ghost Town.

Calico Today

Today, visitors can enjoy a wide variety of attractions, in addition to basking in the beauty of the natural landscape of the town. They can explore an actual mine, try panning for gold, take a ride on a scenic railway and even visit one of the town’s former jails. Another favorite activity is a guided tour of the surrounding area, which includes stops at the ruins of a mining town as well as some abandoned mines. There are also some seasonal events, including the Calico Days Festival, which celebrates the town’s rich history, and Civil War re-enactments held in February.