Calico Ghost
Town
By: Kyle Karakawa #12
When Calico
Ghost Town
Started
On April 6, 1881, Hues Thomas and John C.
King located claims on Calico Mountain.
They named their discovery the Silver King
Mine. Below the silver mine a town slowly
grew. In the spring of 1882, there were only
100 people living in Calico. During July
1882, the Silver King Mine was sold to San
Fransisco for $300,000. Along with this
many individuals, claims led to more
mining. There were no more than 46 mines
of Calico. This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.
Silver Mining
The first ore from Calico was silver. Some of the
earliest records from silver mining claims were from
miners such as John McBride, Larry Silvia, and
Charlie Mecham. These records were in March 1881
after striking a vein in a canyon, which was full of
silver. Their strike was related to the claims that
sprung the Calico Mining District. Within two years
of discovery of the nearby Mule Canyon lured even
more miners to the district. By 1886, the hills were
full of shafts.
Calico's
Prosperity
The Silver King, specifically the Oriental and Bismarck,
helped Calico's wealth. This was during the boom period
of 1881-1907. Until the nationwide financial panic in the
1890s, Calico Mines made more than $20 million in silver
and $9 million in borax. During Calico's mid-1880s peak,
Calico established 300 claims, several dozen established
mines, a population of 1,200, a post office, several
lodging houses and hotels, 22 saloons, and a red-light
district. The significant drop in silver was from as high as
$1.31 per ounce to a low 63 and 60 cents per ounce in
1897, which destroyed Calico's reputation for silver in
1893, the Sherman Silver PurchaseAct and the
depression of the lowering silver cost prompted the
closure of nearly all of the Calico mines, leaving borax for
calicos main income of money.
Calico Ghost
Town Ends
Calico population plummeted after
the price drop in silver. This happened
through the first half of the 20th
century. This happened until Walter
Knott, a local miner and homesteader
bought the town in 1951. He thought
Calico's history might serve as a
tourist attraction between Las Vagas
and Barstow.
Calico Ghost
Town
Walter Knott envisioned the family park
providing things such as a panning for
gold area and horseback riding. He also
thought that Calico should have a
lodging modeled after late 19th-century
hotels. But instead of developing a
theme park, Knott channeled restoration
efforts. In 1966, Knott donated the 480-
acre property to San Bernardino County
as a regional park.
Maggie Mine
Attractions at Calico
Ghost Town
• One of the attractions was the Maggie
Mine. The Maggie Mine was a silver mine
in the 1880s. I t is the only mine that is
safe for guest to experience. A tour guide
will show you around the mine and tell
you about the Maggie Mine.
• Another tourist attraction is the Calico
Odessa Railroad that was installed in
the town in 1958 and has been Calico Odessa Railroad
running on a regular basis. The tour is
approximately 8 minutes and it takes you
on a trip around the hill to see some
historical sites, mining equipment, and
hear some interesting historical points.
Attractions at Calico Mystery Shack
Ghost Town
(Continued)
• The Calico Mystery Shack is also a
tourist attraction. The guest
experience amazing things and
weird sights. Such as water
running uphill, or a broom
standing by itself, or the story of
why Harry dover built the shack.
• You can also learn the experience
firsthand how the miners of
Calico Gold Panning
yesterday and today pan for gold.
You would walk away with
fool's gold, also known as pyrite.
Calico's Glass Bottle House
Calico Today
Calico is a working museum today. They
allow you to camp at calico in a trailer. You
can also explore and look around for
abandoned silver mines. You can also go on
tours and see old buildings with your tour
guide. You can pan for pyrite and look
through the town. You can visit the Calico
cemetery. And you can also go on ghost tours
that might scare you.
Calico's Cemetery
Calico Silver
Mine
My Experience at
Calico
My experience at Calico Ghost Town was
amazing. We went to the mystery shack and
our tour guide told us all about it. We also
went exploring around the Calico area and
went inside the caves. We went around the
Calico's town. We went on many tours and
panned for pyrite. This was one of the best
experience I had along with my family.
