Explore Calico Ghost Town: Mojave Desert's Premier Silver Mining Legacy
Traveling lesser-known roads in the Mojave Desert reveals unexpected treasures at every turn—from remnants of gold and silver mining towns to luxury resorts shimmering like mirages, explorable caves, towering sand dunes, and unique off-the-beaten-path attractions.
Calico Ghost Town welcomes visitors year-round. While sometimes likened to a "theme park," it authentically embodies a preserved ghost town with guided tours, historical exhibits, and boutique shops.
Rich Silver Mining Heritage
Ancient peoples likely roamed the hills surrounding Calico Ghost Town off Calico Road in Yermo, near the Early Man Site. Notably, Wyatt Earp strode the streets of this 1880s silver-mining boomtown. Revived in 1950 by Walter Knott of Knott's Berry Farm renown, the site was donated to San Bernardino County as a regional park. Unlike fully commercialized destinations, Calico maintains an authentic charm—"as purty as a gal’s calico skirt"—drawing weekend crowds without overwhelming commercialization.
One-third of the original hillside structures remain, with others meticulously recreated. Main Street features wooden sidewalks, shops, casual eateries, and costumed interpreters. Spontaneous gunfight reenactments add excitement. Overlooking the street, a one-room schoolhouse perches on one hill, while miners' shacks and abandoned shafts dot the opposite slopes. Join a Ghost Tour for immersive history, explore Maggie's Mine inside a silver-rich vein, or ride the narrow-gauge railroad to the mined mountains.
A Casualty of Economic Shifts
As you stroll through Calico, the question arises: why did it become a ghost town? Unlike many razed by fire or decimated by disease, Calico's decline stemmed from economics. Silver prices plummeted, rendering mining unviable.
Visit this captivating piece of California's mining history daily (except Christmas) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a modest entry fee. Who knows—you might uncover the legendary "Lost Hogan gold treasure," said to be buried "three feet from the big rock."
Additional Mojave Ghost Town Gems
Other Mojave treasures echo California's mining era. Cerro Gordo, at 8,500 feet above Owens Lake, boomed after 1868 silver discoveries, hosting 4,000 residents amid saloons and dance halls. Now restored and closed to collectors for over 20 years, it's rich in rocks and minerals from nearby mine tailings.
Keeler housed 300 miners in the 1870s, thriving with the 1883 railroad arrival and marble quarries. A stagecoach stop en route to Mojave, it's now a revitalized "living" ghost town. Nearby Darwin and Swansea offer intriguing histories with scant ruins.
