The silver mining town where over 500 mines operated within a five-mile radius for 12 years

Calico Ghost Town in California

In 1881, four prospectors struck silver in the Mojave Desert hills and sparked a rush that would pull 1,200 people into the middle of nowhere.

Calico’s mines pumped out $20 million worth of silver, making millionaires and breaking hearts in equal measure.

The town had everything: saloons, a newspaper, even an opera house. Then the silver crash of 1893 killed the dream almost overnight.

Here’s the boom and bust story, preserved today as a county park to explore.

The Silver King Discovery That Started It All

S.C. Wardan, Hues Thomas, and John C. King put their stakes on Calico Mountain on April 6, 1881. They named their claim the Silver King Mine.

King paid for the early work, naming the area after him. While the mine grew, King worked as San Bernardino County Sheriff from 1879 to 1882.

The first miners used picks, shovels, and black powder. Their hard work paid off when the Silver King became California’s top silver producer by 1885.

When San Francisco Investors Bought the Mine

San Francisco businessmen bought the Silver King Mine for $300,000 in July 1882.

The new owners joined smaller claims around the Silver King to make mining more efficient with steam-powered tools.

Calico was still small in early 1882, with just 100 people who stayed in tents or simple wooden buildings whilst working the mines.

The Boom That Built A Town Overnight

Silver output reached its peak between 1883 and 1885. While miners pulled ore from the mountains, businesses rushed in to serve the growing town.

The town got its own post office in early 1882. The weekly newspaper, The Calico Print, started in October 1882 keeping everyone updated.

A stamp mill went up near the town to crush silver ore into powder, its constant pounding a soundtrack as workers processed silver around the clock.

When Fire Destroyed Much of the Town

Fire swept through Calico in 1883, burning down many wooden buildings. Many miners and shop owners lost everything they had.

That spring, miners found borax at Borate, just three miles east. Many left their silver claims to chase this new mineral opportunity.

But they soon returned in 1884. This time they built more with adobe and stone to prevent future fires in the dry, desert heat of California.

Calico Was Built on Silver Boom

By 1886, Calico had grown to 1,200 people. The empty hillside had turned into a proper town with real buildings and established businesses.

The town now had three hotels, five general stores, and three restaurants. Solid wooden buildings replaced the early canvas tents along the main street.

Twenty-two saloons lined Calico’s streets during its best years. Lil’s Saloon and Joe’s Saloon became central watering holes.

According to historical records cited on Wikipedia, this is where miners spent their evenings after long shifts underground.

When They Built the Narrow Gauge Railroad

Before the railroad, mule teams hauled ore at $2.50 per ton.

The Oro Grande Mining Company built a special railroad in 1888 connecting the mines to their new stamp mill.

The ten-mile track cost $250,000, a huge investment then.

The tracks were built closer together than normal railroads so trains could make tight turns in the mountains.

The International Boomtown of 1890

Calico grew to 3,500 people as fortune seekers came from China, England, Greece, France, and the Netherlands to its silver-rich hills.

Over 500 different mines operated during peak years.

From small one-man digs to large company operations, the hillsides buzzed with activity as workers pulled silver from tunnels.

How Colemanite Helped Calico Survive

Miners found colemanite, a valuable mineral, in the Calico mountains. This white crystal was used to make heat-resistant glass.

Borax brought in $9 million for the area. But unlike silver, its prices stayed steady, giving miners work when silver prices started to drop.

Companies built special facilities just for processing borax.

Low Prices Crashed the Economy

The government passed the Silver Purchase Act in 1890. This law cut back on how much silver the government would buy.

Silver dropped from $1.31 to just 63 cents per ounce by the mid-1890s.

This price crash made mining unprofitable. As a result, the Waterloo Mine, one of Calico’s biggest operations, closed in March 1892.

With the decline, owners had to shut down the once-busy mine.

The Silver King’s Last Stand

The Silver King Mining Company stopped operations in 1896. Investors couldn’t justify mining costs when silver was worth only $0.57 per ounce.

Workers took apart equipment to sell or move. They sealed up tunnel entrances as the last miners collected their final pay.

The Calico Railroad stopped running when the Silver King closed.

With no ore to move, the special narrow-gauge line wasn’t needed anymore, marking the end of major mining in the area.

Visiting Calico Ghost Town in California

You’ll find Calico Ghost Town three miles north of Interstate 15, between Barstow and Yermo in California’s Mojave Desert.

The restored Lane House Museum displays authentic mining tools from the 1880s.

The park offers daily tours of the Maggie Mine where you can walk through real silver mine tunnels from the boom era.

Don’t miss the narrow-gauge Calico & Odessa Railroad that recreates the original 1888 mining transport system.

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