San Bernardino County destinations: Calico Ghost Town

A small historic house made of green glass bottles stands in Calico Ghost Town, featuring a shingled roof, black door, and signs reading "OTHERSIDE."

Glass bottle house in Calico Ghost Town.

A rustic wooden town hall in Calico Ghost Town is decorated with garlands, string lights, and oversized candy canes for the holiday season. The building has a Western-style facade with a sign reading "TOWN HALL." Next to it, a general merchandise store with an adobe exterior is partially visible. The late afternoon sunlight casts a warm glow on the historic structures, with rolling hills in the background and a leafless tree framing the top of the image.

Calico Ghost Town site, including the town hall and merchandise store.

A rustic street in Calico Ghost Town features historic wooden buildings, including a Telegraph office and the Mystery Shack. The storefronts are decorated with holiday garlands and an American flag hangs outside one of the buildings. Wooden walkways and benches line the street, leading downhill toward more historic structures and a desert landscape in the background.

Calico Ghost Town site, including the telegraph and mystery shack.

Inside Maggie Mine at Calico Ghost Town, two animatronic figures depict an old mining scene. A miner stands near an ore cart full of rocks, while another figure sits behind a desk labeled "Assay Office". The room is filled with vintage mining equipment and decor.

The interior of Maggie Mine in Calico Ghost Town.

A quaint, small wooden schoolhouse painted white and teal, located in front of a rugged mountain with the word "Calico" written on its slope.

Calico Schoolhouse

We would like to thank Donald Purdey of Redlands for submitting fantastic photos of his favorite San Bernardino County destination.

Calico was a thriving silver mining town from 1881 through the late 1890s. However, the population began to steadily decline as silver lost its value.

At the height of its glory, the town’s population rose to nearly 1,200 people in 1887. Calico had 22 saloons, a schoolhouse, a post office, its own version of a Chinatown, a cemetery and its own newspaper. The town produced approximately $86 million in silver and about $45 million in borax.

Walter Knott, the founder of Knott’s Berry Farm, purchased Calico in the 1950s and restored all but five of the original buildings to its 1880s appearance. In 1966, Knott donated Calico to San Bernardino County, and the site is now managed by the Regional Parks Department. The town has shops, restaurants and offers camping, hiking and off-roading. For more information about Calico Ghost Town, please visit parks.sbcounty.gov/park/calico-ghost-town-regional-park.

Additional County Update News – Feb. 20, 2025