Take a day trip to Calico and enjoy some history in this old 1880s silver mining ghost town located in Yermo on the I-15.
This little town is the one passed by thousands of drivers every week on their way to Vegas. It can be recognized by the huge word “Calico” painted in white on the mountain above the town. It’s a great place to relax and relive what it was like for miners and their families. There are still ruins of old buildings as well as actual historical buildings.
Alicia Fernandez has been to Calico four times and looks forward to coming back again with family. On this trip she brought her son, daughter and husband. “I love it, everytime it’s something different, something new to explore,” said Fernandez. She has made two field trips visits with her kids’ classes and also brought her parents from Mexico and her sister from Utah to visit. “They loved it and they want to come back,” Said Fernandez.
On this most recent visit with daughter Alexandra’s 4th grade class from Pearblossom, she and her daughter took old time photos dressed up in old-fashioned clothes. “My husband did not want to do it because he’s like, ‘I’m too old for that,’” said Fernandez.
Her daughter Alexandra enjoyed the panning for gold and really enjoyed the train ride., “The best part of coming here was the train ride because you get to go around and learn about new stuff,” said Alexandra. “It’s a fun place and a fun place to learn.”
Calico Ghost Town was purchased by Walter Knott, in the 1950s and restored most of the buildings to look as they did during their heyday in the 1880s when Calico’s 500 mines produced over $20 million in silver ore. Miners began moving away from Calico in the mid-1890s when silver lost its value and it became the ghost town it is today. It’s new value is in giving children and adults insight into life at the end of the 1800s. Only five buildings are truly original.
Calico is officially a State Historical Landmark #782 and is now part of the San Bernardino County Regional Parks system. People from all over the world come to visit Calico and on a cool spring day in May there were visitors from Japan and Germany.
Visitors to Calico are welcome to bring snacks and drinks but there are also several restaurants and shops that take credit cards and offer all types of old-fashioned souvenirs. Among the attractions to visit are part of an old silver mine with recreations of miners; a train ride that offers history of the mines; a mysterious house, which while not authentic, offers fun for visitors; and panning for gold, technically pyrite but the instructor gave assurance that it does contains some real gold dust.
The main area through town is paved and suitable for wagons or wheelchairs but but many of the buildings and walkways throughout the rest of the town are not due to the historical nature of the area. It may be possible to navigate much of this area with walkers or canes.
There are mountain bike and hiking trails and areas for off road vehicles. School field trips are welcome and they offer several signature events each year including a Civil War reenactment in Feburary, Bluegrass in the Spring on Mothers Day weekend, Calico Days in October, a Ghost Haunt for Halloween, and a Holiday Fest over Thanksgiving weekend.
The park is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (except Christmas Day). It is located at 36600 Ghost Town Road, Yermo, CA 92398. Admission to Calico is $8 for adults, $5 for youth ages 6-15, and kids under age 5 are free. Leashed dogs are welcome. Calico also offers camping facilities as well as cabin rentals. They also offer locations for weddings and will help with the set-up and take-down but everything else is the responsibility of the wedding party. Call (760) 254-2122 for more information or email [email protected] with the word “wedding” in the subject line.
