We drove down Route 15 out of Las Vegas to go home. We went through the Mojave Desert again and once again it was very hot!! Chano does most of the driving and I am his co-pilot reading the map. I noticed on the the map near the town of Barstow was Calico Ghost town. I googled it on my phone and it sounded like a cool place for the kids to see. As you dry up to the entrance there are all these things that were once part of the town. I even saw an interesting dome home out in the middle of nowhere. The history of the town is quite interesting. Here is some information from the pamphlet. Nearly 127 years ago, the town of Calico was bustling with prospectors searching for its mineral riches. Silver was king here and the Calico Mining district became one of the richest in the state. Born in March, 1882, Calico could boast boomtown status producing $86 million in Silver, $45 million in borax and a town population of 1,200 with 22 saloons, China Town and a red light district. Over 500 mines, including the legendary Silver King, Oriental and Bismarck were the engines that drove Calico's great wealth between the years of 1881 and 1907. Like most towns of the early West, when the price of silver dropped from $1.31 an ounce to $.63, Calico became a ghost of its former self. Today, Calico is one of the few remaining original mining towns fo the western United States, thanks to the help of Mr. Walter Knott, founder of Knott's Berry Farm. In November, 1966, Mr. Knott donated Calico to San Bernardino County. The ghost town is now neat shops and restaurants. They even have a campground, so when it cools off in the desert we may go back to the town and explore some more. It was really fascinating, so I took a lot of pictures. If you are ever in this area it is worth a trip to see Calico Ghost town.
