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 and restaurants, and offers opportunities for camping, hiking, and off-roading.


Photos:















Check Out:

From Desert Floor to the Summit | Discover Mt. Whitney the Sierra Nevada’s Crown Jewel | Ken Hulsey Photographer

Chasing Steel Giants: Captivating Moments of BNSF and Union Pacific Trains in Southern California | Ken Hulsey Photographer

A Call to Action: Advocating for the Rebirth of California's Spirit in Turbulent Times

California Through My Lens - An Antique Paradise in Oro Grande on Old Route 66


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.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Experience Serenity and Scenic Beauty at Riverview Park: A Hidden Gem in Shreveport!

Image
 Photos and Story By Ken Hulsey Last week, I stayed overnight in Shreveport for an early-morning meeting in Bossier City. After the meeting, I visited one of my favorite places in Shreveport, Riverview Park, along the majestic Red River. The weather was pleasantly cool for a change, with a lovely layer of fog hanging in the air, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to stretch my legs and take some photos of the area.
Read More »

The Spectral Truck and Driver Who Terrorized the Albuquerque Desert! | A True New Mexico Ghost Story

Image
Written By Ken Hulsey With Halloween quickly approaching, I wanted to share a little ghost story from my past. Back in the 1980s, I lived in Albuquerque, in a subdivision known as Heritage Hills. When my family moved in during the late 1970s, this area was brand new. In fact, these were the only homes located on the furthest north side of the city. Beyond our subdivision, there was nothing but open desert, with dirt roads and a few scattered structures. This area remained undeveloped for quite some time. 
Read More »

Join the Sky-High Fun at the 41st Annual Natchez Balloon Festival: A Must-See Celebration of Music, Family, and Adventure!

Image
Experience the 41st Annual Natchez Balloon Festival: A Celebration of Music, Family, and Adventure Information from the Natchez Balloon Festival - Photos by Ken Hulsey.   The Natchez Balloon Festival is back for its 41st year, bringing excitement and entertainment to Natchez, Mississippi, on October 16-17, 2026. Set against the stunning backdrop of Rosalie Mansion's high bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River, this festival has become a staple in the community, attracting visitors from near and far.  
Read More »

Discover the Ultimate 80s Playlist That Will Take You Back in Time!

Image
Written By Ken Hulsey.  Over the past few years, I have become a fanatic for creating Spotify playlists. I love to assemble them, break them apart, and rebuild them. My approach to music playlists is similar to George Lucas's philosophy about his movies. He once mentioned that movies are never truly finished, only abandoned. While I’m paraphrasing, I definitely share that mindset. There may not be such a thing as a perfect playlist, but I keep striving to create one.
Read More »

Rediscovering Smith's Landing: The Story of Louisiana's First Train Station and Its Legacy

Image
Today, I want to share the story of the first railroad built in central Louisiana. Known as the Red River Railroad , or sometimes the Ralph Smith Smith Railroad , this was the very first railroad constructed west of the Mississippi River. It was a simple and roughly built line that transported cotton and other goods that were brought in by barges on Bayou Boeuf .   The place where this railroad began is called Smith’s Landing , and the remaining building in the town of Lecompte is recognized as the first train station built west of the Mississippi. The tracks ran from Lecompte to the banks of the Red River in Alexandria , but much of this route has been lost to time. During the Civil War , Union soldiers tore up the tracks to create a levee, and because of that, we don’t know exactly where the railroad used to go. Interestingly, when crews were constructing the old Jefferson Highway that runs between Lecompte and Alexandria, they found some remnants of the Red River Railroad, whi...
Read More »

Experience the Vibrant Colors of Fall at Fresh Pickin's: A Harvest Haven in Lafayette!

Image
 If you have any doubts that it is indeed Fall in Southern Louisiana, a trip to Fresh Pickin's Produce Market in Lafayette will clue you in to the seasonal change. Though the temperatures are just starting to cool down and the leaves are still mostly green, this fruit and vegetable stand (that's what we used to call a place like this in the good old days) is full of Fall colors. The oranges of pumpkins and the reds. yellows and browns of gourds and Indian corn delight the visual spectrum. 
Read More »

Returning to the Lair of the Fouke Monster - The Legend of Boggy Creek and Beyond | Ken Hulsey

Image
I, like many others, first became fascinated with the infamous "Fouke Monster" in the 1970s when the film "The Legend of Boggy Creek" was released in theaters and drive-ins across the country. Although I didn't see the movie until it aired as a Saturday afternoon feature on a local TV station in the 1980s, the original trailer had a lasting impact on my young and impressionable mind—it scared the crap out of me. A big, hairy creature reaching through windows to grab young girls (the Fouke Monster doesn't hold a candle to King Kong), girls screaming, guns firing, people chasing the monster, the monster chasing people-all set in what looked like the creepiest place on Earth: Boggy Creek. I hid under my bed until I was ten!  
Read More »

Unraveling the Mystery of the Ditch Witch: The Terrifying Tale of Love, Loss, and the Unsolved Disappearance in Albuquerque

Image
 Written By: Ken Hulsey As a child growing up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I heard the haunting tale of the Ditch Witch, also known as La Llorona or The Weeping Woman, recounted around campfires and during sleepovers countless times. While the details varied, the core narrative remained the same - a young mother who, scorned by her lover, tragically drowned her own children. Now eternally cursed, the woman's spirit wanders the banks of the Rio Grande, forever lamenting and searching for her lost offspring.
Read More »

Ancient Giants Revealed: How a Massive Tyrannosaur Fossil Discovered in New Mexico Is Rewriting Evolutionary History!

Image
New Discoveries in Tyrannosaur Evolution: A Giant Leg Bone Unearthed in New Mexico The world of paleontology has been shaken by the recent discovery of an enormous tyrannosaur leg bone in the fossil-rich Kirtland Formation of northwestern New Mexico. This shinbone, measuring three feet long, suggests the existence of an unusually large member of the tyrannosaur family, a group that includes the iconic Tyrannosaurus rex. Documented in a study published in the journal Scientific Reports, this finding provides new insights into the history and evolution of these magnificent creatures.
Read More »