History Tuesday – Calico Ghost Town in California

History Tuesday at Old Houses Under $50K is for informational purposes only – NOT for sale. We feature properties that cost less than $50K sometime in their history. Today, we focus on Calico Ghost Town.

The Calico Ghost Town in Yermo, California, was formerly a thriving and busy mining community. Founded in 1881, miners from all over the country came to Calico to find their fortune. At its peak, 5,000 people lived there. After silver lost its value in the 1890s, however, the miners went home and the businesses they supported dried up.

 

Watch the short video below about Calico Ghost Town.

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The town lay dormant and in despair for over 50 years before Walter Knott (of Knott’s Berry Farm fame) purchased the ghost town in the 1950s for $15,000. He then went about de-ghosting the ghost town by restoring almost all the buildings to appear as they did when Calico was bustling and buzzing.

 

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In 2005, Calico was given state historic site status when then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed it to be California’s Silver Rush Ghost Town.

 

 

Today, Calico lives again and is part of the San Bernardino County Regional Parks system. The Calico Ghost Town Regional Park, with its history, shops, restaurants, camping, hiking and off-roading, is open to visitors daily except Christmas. It is located at 36600 Ghost Town Road, Yermo, CA 92398760.254.1123.