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In 1881 four prospectors were leaving Grapevine Station (present day [[Barstow, California]]) for a mountain peak to the northeast. Describing the peak as "calico-colored", [[Calico Peaks|the peak]], [[Calico Mountains (California)|the mountain range]] to which it belonged, and the town that followed were all called Calico.<ref name="Varney">{{cite book |first=Philip |last=Varney |year=1990 |title=Southern California's Best Ghost Towns |publisher=[[University of Oklahoma Press]] |isbn=0-8061-2252-8 |page=51 }}</ref> The four prospectors discovered [[silver]] in the mountain, and opened the Silver King Mine, which was California's largest silver producer in the mid-1880s.<ref name="Varney" /> A Post Office was established in early 1882, and the [[Calico Print]], a weekly newspaper, started publishing. The town soon supported three hotels, five general stores, a meat market, bars, brothels, and three restaurants and boarding houses. The county established a school district and a voting precinct.<ref name="Hensher">{{cite book |first=Alan |last=Hensher |year=1991 |title=Ghost Towns of the Mojave Desert |publisher=California Classic Books |isbn=1-879395-07-X |pages=18–21}}</ref> The town also had a deputy sheriff and two constables, two lawyers and a [[justice of the peace]], five commissioners, and two doctors. There was also a [[History of Wells Fargo|Wells Fargo]] office and a telephone and telegraph service.<ref name="Varney" /> At its height of silver production during 1883 and 1885,<ref name="Hensher" /> Calico had over 500 mines and a population of 1,200 people.<ref name="Varney" />
In 1881 four prospectors were leaving Grapevine Station (present day [[Barstow, California]]) for a mountain peak to the northeast. Describing the peak as "calico-colored", [[Calico Peaks|the peak]], [[Calico Mountains (California)|the mountain range]] to which it belonged, and the town that followed were all called Calico.<ref name="Varney">{{cite book |first=Philip |last=Varney |year=1990 |title=Southern California's Best Ghost Towns |publisher=[[University of Oklahoma Press]] |isbn=0-8061-2252-8 |page=51 }}</ref> The four prospectors discovered [[silver]] in the mountain, and opened the Silver King Mine, which was California's largest silver producer in the mid-1880s.<ref name="Varney" /> A Post Office was established in early 1882, and the [[Calico Print]], a weekly newspaper, started publishing. The town soon supported three hotels, five general stores, a meat market, bars, brothels, and three restaurants and boarding houses. The county established a school district and a voting precinct.<ref name="Hensher">{{cite book |first=Alan |last=Hensher |year=1991 |title=Ghost Towns of the Mojave Desert |publisher=California Classic Books |isbn=1-879395-07-X |pages=18–21}}</ref> The town also had a deputy sheriff and two constables, two lawyers and a [[justice of the peace]], five commissioners, and two doctors. There was also a [[History of Wells Fargo|Wells Fargo]] office and a telephone and telegraph service.<ref name="Varney" /> At its height of silver production during 1883 and 1885,<ref name="Hensher" /> Calico had over 500 mines and a population of 1,200 people.<ref name="Varney" />


The discovery of [[Colemanite]] [[borate]] in the Calico mountains a few years after the settlement of the town also helped Calico's fortunes, and in 1890 the estimated population of the town was 3,500, with citizens from China, England, Cornwall, Ireland, Greece, France and the Netherlands, as well as American living there.<ref name="Varney 52">Varney (1990), p. 52</ref> In the same year, the [[Silver Purchase Act]] was enacted, and it drove down the price of silver.<ref name="Varney" /> By 1896, its value had decreased to $0.57 per [[troy ounce]], and Calico's silver mines were no longer economically viable.<ref name="Varney" /> The post office was discontinued in 1898,<ref>{{cite book |last=Durham |first=David L. |year=1998 |title=California's Geographic Names |publisher=[[Word Dancer Press]] |location=[[Clovis, California]] |isbn=1-884995-14-4 |chapter=Part Eleven&nbsp;– Southeast Region (Imperial, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) |page=1401 }}</ref> and the school closed not long after.<ref name="Hensher" /> By the turn of the century, Calico was all but a [[ghost town]],<ref name="Varney 52" /> and with the end of [[borax]] mining in the region in 1907 the town was completely abandoned.{{citation needed|date=November 2011}} Many of the original buildings were moved to Barstow, [[Daggett, California|Daggett]] and [[Yermo, California|Yermo]].<ref name="Varney 52" />
The discovery of [[Colemanite]] [[borate]] in the Calico mountains a few years after the settlement of the town also helped Calico's fortunes, and in 1890 the estimated population of the town was 3,500, with citizens from China, England, Cornwall, Ireland, Greece, France and the Netherlands, as well as Americans living there.<ref name="Varney 52">Varney (1990), p. 52</ref> In the same year, the [[Silver Purchase Act]] was enacted, and it drove down the price of silver.<ref name="Varney" /> By 1896, its value had decreased to $0.57 per [[troy ounce]], and Calico's silver mines were no longer economically viable.<ref name="Varney" /> The post office was discontinued in 1898,<ref>{{cite book |last=Durham |first=David L. |year=1998 |title=California's Geographic Names |publisher=[[Word Dancer Press]] |location=[[Clovis, California]] |isbn=1-884995-14-4 |chapter=Part Eleven&nbsp;– Southeast Region (Imperial, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) |page=1401 }}</ref> and the school closed not long after.<ref name="Hensher" /> By the turn of the century, Calico was all but a [[ghost town]],<ref name="Varney 52" /> and with the end of [[borax]] mining in the region in 1907 the town was completely abandoned.{{citation needed|date=November 2011}} Many of the original buildings were moved to Barstow, [[Daggett, California|Daggett]] and [[Yermo, California|Yermo]].<ref name="Varney 52" />


An attempt to revive the town was made in about 1915, when a [[cyanide process|cyanide plant]] was built to recover silver from the unprocessed Silver King Mine's deposits. [[Walter Knott]] and his wife Cordelia, founders of [[Knott's Berry Farm]], were [[homestead]]ed at [[Newberry Springs, California|Newberry Springs]] around this time, and Knott helped built the redwood cyanide tanks for the plant.<ref name="Varney 52" /><ref>{{cite book| last=Kooiman |first=Helen |title=Walter Knott: Keeper of the Flame |pages=153–58 |publisher=Plycon Press |location=[[Fullerton, California]] |year=1973 }}</ref> In 1951, Knott purchased the town and began restoring it to its original condition referencing old photographs. He installed a longtime employee named "Calico Fred" Noller as resident caretaker and official greeter.<ref>[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=oohOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UgAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2548,5874193&dq=calico+ghost+town&hl=en "Long dead silver town returns to life"], Toledo Blade, May 13, 1951</ref> In 1966, Knott donated the town to San Bernardino County, and Calico became a County Regional Park.<ref>Varney (1990), pp. 52–53</ref>
An attempt to revive the town was made in about 1915, when a [[cyanide process|cyanide plant]] was built to recover silver from the unprocessed Silver King Mine's deposits. [[Walter Knott]] and his wife Cordelia, founders of [[Knott's Berry Farm]], were [[homestead]]ed at [[Newberry Springs, California|Newberry Springs]] around this time, and Knott helped built the redwood cyanide tanks for the plant.<ref name="Varney 52" /><ref>{{cite book| last=Kooiman |first=Helen |title=Walter Knott: Keeper of the Flame |pages=153–58 |publisher=Plycon Press |location=[[Fullerton, California]] |year=1973 }}</ref> In 1951, Knott purchased the town and began restoring it to its original condition referencing old photographs. He installed a longtime employee named "Calico Fred" Noller as resident caretaker and official greeter.<ref>[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=oohOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UgAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2548,5874193&dq=calico+ghost+town&hl=en "Long dead silver town returns to life"], Toledo Blade, May 13, 1951</ref> In 1966, Knott donated the town to San Bernardino County, and Calico became a County Regional Park.<ref>Varney (1990), pp. 52–53</ref>

Revision as of 16:26, 11 May 2012

Calico
Ghost town, Former mining town
Calico in the Mojave Desert
Calico in the Mojave Desert
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountySan Bernardino
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code
92398
Area code760
GNIS feature ID1660414[1]
Websitehttp://cms.sbcounty.gov/parks/Parks/CalicoGhostTown.aspx

Calico is a ghost town and former mining town in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Calico Mountains of the Mojave Desert region of Southern California, it was founded in 1881 as a silver mining town, and today has been converted into a county park. Located off Interstate 15, it lies 3 miles (4.8 km) from Barstow and 3 miles from Yermo. Giant letters spelling CALICO can be seen on the Calico Peaks behind the ghost town from the freeway. Walter Knott purchased Calico in 1950s, architecturally restoring all but the five remaining original buildings to look as they did in 1880s. Calico received State Historical Landmark 782 and in 2005 was proclaimed by then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to be California's Silver Rush Ghost Town.[2]

History

Aerial view of Calico, with the hillside letters visible.
Calico
Calico & Odessa Railroad
Calico in the evening

In 1881 four prospectors were leaving Grapevine Station (present day Barstow, California) for a mountain peak to the northeast. Describing the peak as "calico-colored", the peak, the mountain range to which it belonged, and the town that followed were all called Calico.[3] The four prospectors discovered silver in the mountain, and opened the Silver King Mine, which was California's largest silver producer in the mid-1880s.[3] A Post Office was established in early 1882, and the Calico Print, a weekly newspaper, started publishing. The town soon supported three hotels, five general stores, a meat market, bars, brothels, and three restaurants and boarding houses. The county established a school district and a voting precinct.[4] The town also had a deputy sheriff and two constables, two lawyers and a justice of the peace, five commissioners, and two doctors. There was also a Wells Fargo office and a telephone and telegraph service.[3] At its height of silver production during 1883 and 1885,[4] Calico had over 500 mines and a population of 1,200 people.[3]

The discovery of Colemanite borate in the Calico mountains a few years after the settlement of the town also helped Calico's fortunes, and in 1890 the estimated population of the town was 3,500, with citizens from China, England, Cornwall, Ireland, Greece, France and the Netherlands, as well as Americans living there.[5] In the same year, the Silver Purchase Act was enacted, and it drove down the price of silver.[3] By 1896, its value had decreased to $0.57 per troy ounce, and Calico's silver mines were no longer economically viable.[3] The post office was discontinued in 1898,[6] and the school closed not long after.[4] By the turn of the century, Calico was all but a ghost town,[5] and with the end of borax mining in the region in 1907 the town was completely abandoned.[citation needed] Many of the original buildings were moved to Barstow, Daggett and Yermo.[5]

An attempt to revive the town was made in about 1915, when a cyanide plant was built to recover silver from the unprocessed Silver King Mine's deposits. Walter Knott and his wife Cordelia, founders of Knott's Berry Farm, were homesteaded at Newberry Springs around this time, and Knott helped built the redwood cyanide tanks for the plant.[5][7] In 1951, Knott purchased the town and began restoring it to its original condition referencing old photographs. He installed a longtime employee named "Calico Fred" Noller as resident caretaker and official greeter.[8] In 1966, Knott donated the town to San Bernardino County, and Calico became a County Regional Park.[9]

Current status

Calico has been restored to the silver rush era it once flourished, although many original buildings were removed and replaced instead with gingerbread architecture and false facades that tourists would expect to see in a Western-themed town;[10] Most of the restored and newly built buildings are made of wood with a simple, rustic architecture and a severely weathered appearance. Some structures still stand dating back to the town's operational years: Lil's Saloon; the town office; the former home of Lucy Lane, which is now the main museum but was originally the town's post office and courthouse; Smitty's Gallery; the general store; and Joe's Saloon. There is also a replica of the schoolhouse on the site of the original building.[10] The one-time homes of the town's Chinese citizens exist as ruins only; nothing remains of the former "family" residential area on a nearby bluff.[11]

In November 1962, Calico Ghost Town was registered as a California Historical Landmark (Landmark #782),[12] In 2002, Calico vied with Bodie in Mono County to be recognized as the Official State Ghost Town. In 2005, a compromise was finally reached when the State Senate and State Assembly agreed to list Bodie as the Official State Gold Rush Ghost Town and Calico the Official State Silver Rush Ghost Town.[13]

Today, the park operates mine tours, gunfight stunt shows, gold panning, several restaurants, the historic narrow-gauge Calico and Odessa Railroad, and a number of general merchandise stores. It is open every day except Christmas, and requires an entrance fee. Additional fees are required for some attractions. Overnight camping is also available. Special events are held throughout the year including a Spring Festival in May, Calico Days in early October, and a Ghost Town haunt in late October.[14]

Image gallery

In popular culture

See also

References

  1. ^ "Calico, California". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ http://cms.sbcounty.gov/parks/Parks/CalicoGhostTown.aspx
  3. ^ a b c d e f Varney, Philip (1990). Southern California's Best Ghost Towns. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 51. ISBN 0-8061-2252-8.
  4. ^ a b c Hensher, Alan (1991). Ghost Towns of the Mojave Desert. California Classic Books. pp. 18–21. ISBN 1-879395-07-X.
  5. ^ a b c d Varney (1990), p. 52
  6. ^ Durham, David L. (1998). "Part Eleven – Southeast Region (Imperial, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties)". California's Geographic Names. Clovis, California: Word Dancer Press. p. 1401. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
  7. ^ Kooiman, Helen (1973). Walter Knott: Keeper of the Flame. Fullerton, California: Plycon Press. pp. 153–58.
  8. ^ "Long dead silver town returns to life", Toledo Blade, May 13, 1951
  9. ^ Varney (1990), pp. 52–53
  10. ^ a b Varney (1990), p. 53
  11. ^ Recorded narration on the Calico and Odessa Railroad ride
  12. ^ "Town of Calico Historical Landmark". California Department of Parks and Recreation. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
  13. ^ Harvey, Steve (August 3, 2005). "Only in LA; Wild West Ghost Town's Image in California Gains Bit of Polish". The Los Angeles Times. Tribune Publishing Company. p. B.4. ISSN 0458-3035.
  14. ^ "Calico Ghost Town". San Bernardino County Regional Parks. Retrieved March 13, 2012.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Calico Ghost Town.
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