Uncovering Calico Ghost Town: A Journey to California’s Silver Mining Past | Ken Hulsey Photographer


 If you have ever traveled from Los Angeles to Las Vegas via the I-15 freeway, you have probably noticed the name "Calico" formed out of white rocks atop a mountain just outside of Barstow. If you were curious enough to detour off the highway for an hour or so to discover what those rocks were all about, you would uncover an otherworldly site that was once a silver mining town. The structures here range from traditional Western dwellings to others built directly into the rocky hills, which would look just as much at home on Mars as they do in the California desert.


Viewing these numerous structures makes one ponder what life was like in Calico during its heyday. The temperatures in this part of the country can rise to 120 degrees in the summer, making conditions nearly unbearable. Just peek inside one of the windows, and you'll see that the living conditions were cramped, dusty, and hot. The miners lived a life devoid of luxury while pursuing a fortune that very few ever came close to obtaining. The lure of precious metals was strong in the 1800s, and the silver being extracted from the nearby mountains drew fortune seekers to this inhospitable wasteland, leading to a life of hard work and personal sacrifice.

Within a decade and a half of its founding, the silver supply dwindled, and so did the town.

- Photos and Story By Ken Hulsey


  From The National Park Service:

Calico is an old West mining town that has been around since 1881. It was abandoned in the mid-1890s after silver lost its value. Once a bustling community that provided miners with a good living, the town eventually became a ghost town.

In the 1950s, Walter Knott purchased Calico and architecturally restored nearly all of its original buildings to resemble their appearance in the 1880s, with five exceptions. Calico received State Historical Landmark status as Landmark 782, and in 2005, it was designated California’s Silver Rush Ghost Town by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Today, Calico is part of the San Bernardino County Regional Parks system and attracts visitors from across the country and around the world. In addition to its historical significance, Calico Ghost Town features shops, restaurants, and offers opportunities for camping, hiking, and off-roading.


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Ghost Towns (320 pages) Hardcover


Take a historical and visual tour through ghost towns in North America. Find out what these communities were and what they’ve become. Contemporary and historical photographs show once-thriving towns and the desolate places they are currently.
Farming towns, mining towns, and small towns that were left behind when a transportation hub changed are all included.
More than 60 ghost towns from around the continent are spotlighted, including McGrew, Nebraska, Bodie, California, and Rhyolite, Nevada.
Hardcover, 320 pages.

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