Touring the Old West Buildings of Calico Ghost Town | Yermo, California
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- Calico Ghost Town is an 1881 Old West mining town, once abandoned and later restored to be part of the San Bernardino County Regional Park System. It's a look back in time today!
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The mining town of Calico was once a bustling mining operation in the 1880s before the silver dwindled and proved to not be as profitable a short time later. By the mid-1890s, most citizens had left and the town was abandoned.
The town could have remained a lost piece of history were it not for the help of Walter Knott of Knott's Berry Farm fame. In the 1950s, Walter saw a vision of restoring the town and offering the history and importance of this town to others. So Walter purchased the town and went to work to restore a number of buildings.
Today Calico has numerous shops, restaurants and attractions including mine tours, gold panning and a train ride. Part ghost town and part theme park, Calico allows guests to take a step back in time and learn about its history as well as life in those days.
For those wanting a little more outdoor activity, the park also offers hiking and biking trails as well as camping. There are 10 cabins and 1 bunkhouse available to rent on the property.
VIDEO FILMED: 11/13/2020
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Welcome to the Cactus Atlas! We are Glenn and Amy and invite you to join us as we visit all sorts of locations across the American West. We tour both natural and man-made attractions.
Our base of operations is in the Phoenix, AZ area. We do a lot of hiking and day trips as well as campground reviews, and hope that we will be a great resource if you are planning a trip to the American West. We also hope to delight you with our exciting adventures!
Yes, there is a connection with Knot's Berry Farm. He donated it to the county in 1966. My dad was Chief of Operations and over saw the restoration starting in 1968-70, and the operation into the late 70's. I grew up in that town and still have my hat and spurs, and 5 event pins from first Pony Express Races. It was very active and unique theme park at that time, especially considering it was operated by the county. It had scheduled staged gun fights, horse races, daily live theater performances, horse rides and on and on. . It was in operation prior to 1973, I remember when that brass sign was installed... My dad was very creative, and love that sort of thing. I was one lucky kid. btw, the mine is real. It was good you got to see with out crowds of people blocking your view. thanks for the trip down memory lane. It has not changed all that much....
We touch on the history on the companion blog on our website. Very cool about your ties to the place! We also went back late last year and filmed the mine and train running since things opened a bit since this, our original video, was filmed. 😄
@@CactusAtlas Your video does bring back more and more memories. If you ever go back again, look for all the hidden residences of the employees that are hidden in plain sight. I even remember a homeless fellow from New Jersey who showed up one day. He looked and acted the part so well , the town adopted him made made him an official part of the park, a well loved character who hung out around town. They eventually found him a spot in the cemetery. His name is Tumbleweed, and the name is found on his marker. In the park's heyday, there was so many events it was a 'Disneyland' for cowboys, with trail rides, barbecues, various type shows. It was a big deal back in the 70's. As you are, hopefully I'm adding to the history of the place in some small way.
Buried from Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is based off in this town and the Treyarch team went there. It's a zombie map under the Vengeance DLC.
I live in Baltimore, Maryland. I was in Calico when I was 11 and I still have the pictures of the old cowboys and brochures from my visit in 1981. 🤣
Oh, that's so awesome! Calico seems like it would be such a fun place for a kid. 😄
I was stationed at Barstow logistics base, but our barracks were at Yermo, back in 1980’s in the Marine Corps. Me and a buddy tramped all over those hills around Calico. We explored many mines, which offered a cool respite from the dessert heat. This tourist attraction in this video is worth the visit. It’s awesome and I spent a lot of time there too. Great video. Thanks for sharing.
Can't even begin to imagine all the small little secrets and treasured areas that you found in those hills outside Calico. Sounds like an amazing way to spend some free time. 😄
really cool old west town, thanks for the trip!
It's a really cool place and they've done a nice job. Thanks for watching! 😄
First went there in spring 1985 when assigned to Fort Irwin. You could go down in that mine (Maggie Mine?) and it was considerably warmer. They had cowboy shoot-outs and a spitting contest. We rode rented horses from the MCLB Marine Base in Yermo up there one time. Wish you had done a companion video about Yermo, inch by inch from that nearest interstate off-ramp. I lived there for 4 years during Army service. The International Cafe -- at the next exit, further east -- was a superb place that fed thousands of people for years.
I imagine we will be back. Lots still unexplored in that area. But man.... spitting contest? 😅
@@CactusAtlas Yeah, it was based on the old habit of chewing tobacco and spittoons. I think it was a national contest at the time. If you go back, please do a video on Yermo itself -- all of the buildings still in operation, not the abandoned like other youtubers. The post office and that grocery store beside it were the heart of the town. Then there was the International Cafe which burned down (in 2008?) under "suspicious circumstances." The old newspaper article about it is online, but I can't find any follow-up. What anybody arrested? Was the case solved? Was it insurance fraud? I know that big candy store and truck stop is at that exit now.
I was there 45 years ago as a kid with my dog too
Great video man! Very well done... Thanks!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed our video!
I have seen lots of similar type video journals, but yours are the best. Good narration too
I spent a couple of days doing some gunfight renactments back in the late 70s had a great time doing it. Then I went to the Early Man site and spent the next 3 weeks working the site.
Oh that is awesome! Would have LOVED to have seen Calico in earlier years.
@@CactusAtlas yeah it was nice they didn't have the train then
@@CactusAtlas sorry I hit the wrong button anyway the mine tour was on foot there was a art gallery ran by the artist doing western paintings witch I posed for one she was working on there was a couple of old western stars that where doing the renactments one was Johnny Ringo and others good times.
Yes.. I remember a statue like the miner at Knott's Berry Farm. ☺
We've heard there more out there that Claude Bell made. That Slim really inspired a lot of imagery. 😄
I did the Calico ultra trail run a few years ago, and it was beautiful (but brutal). If you like the town, you would love the scenery in the hills beyond. Absolutely breathtaking. When it opens back up fully I am sure you can ask about the extensive trails behind the town if you are interested.
I'm sure the hills are amazing. Would love to explore back there one day! 👍
I liked the 🎼music 🎼at the end of the video.
Thank you so much! 😄
Just ask about Ed Morgan or Mike Cobb or the Morgan and the Cobb family up top when you talk to Jessica at the restaurant across from the school
Oh man you should have went up and check out the cemetery and if you ever go back hopefully the Odessa railroad will be up and running and the mine is old Maggie's mine a real mine
Still never made it to the cemetery sadly but we did actually go back and the railroad was up and running. 😄
I understand that there may be gold that buried under a rock by a miner named Hogan. Any truth to this?
Unfortunately we don't have any info on this.
I want first music 10 : 00
Hi
Love Calico.. Yeapp it’s Was Knotts at One Time Then Donated it to San Bernardino County... Lunch Wasn’t Much as Far as The Price? Cause Hot Dogs are Delicious..Haha Cool Calico Video
👍🏻🤠🍻Cheers🍻
Thanks so much!
I’ve wanted to go there too! It just looks amazing. We are in lockdown in Scotland (believe me it is getting VERY old here too, even if necessary!) so I am watching your vlogs and planning a US road trip for one of these days! That statue does look like the one at Knott’s. Loved this!
Virtual trips are about all we seem to be able to do these days but I think future trips are going to be some of the best memories we all can make. Glad we can help plan that future one! 😊
We went when we were a at Fort Irwin. The kids had a great time. I’d like to go back at some point but California isn’t on my list any time soon.
Good video! Walter Knott was the nephew of John C. King, who was the sheriff of San Bernardino County in the 1880s and who had grubstaked the miners who found the first silver vein in Calico (they were looking for Gold, lost their horse and were following it in the hills when they saw the silver vein). King owned the Silver King Mine, the largest and most profitable of the silver mines in Calico. Walter Knott worked in the borax mines in the early 1900's when he was a teen. Calico inspired him to create the fake mining town at Knott's Berry Farm in the 1940s, and its success inspired him to recreate Calico as both a tourist attraction and to preserve its history in the 1950s. He already owned most of the town by that time, so he bought the rest, and started the restoration. There were still people alive who had lived in Calico during its heyday, so he used old photos & their memories to recreate the town as close to the original as possible. Of all the buildings there, only 5 are original. The schoolhouse isn't one of them -- putting the "restored" in quotes is totally misleading. They rebuilt it. I think it's old, weathered look today is genuine, but not from the 1880s. I totally did not see the glass bottle house when I was there!! But the train was operating, and it was a blast! If you get back to Calico, take the train, and also go through the Maggie Mine -- it was one of the real mines, and the only one deemed safe enough for people to enter. Again, good video!
Yup! You can see more of Calico on an upcoming video and read more about it on our website. 😄
I lived in Barstow until I was almost 9 and I have memories of a few school field trips to Calico. My parents grew up in Barstow and Yermo . My mom went to Barstow High school and my dad to Kennedy. I’ve always loved these old ghost towns, but I didn’t know there was a connection between Knott’s Berry Farm and Calico…. But Knott’s Berry Farm is my FAVORITE place! Loved watching and reminiscing. 😊
Thanks! We keep trying to carve out time to compare and contrast Calico at Knott's with the ghost town but haven't yet. Appreciate the comment and thanks for watching. 😄
funny i just left calico today
It's a fun place, right?
I hope you went to the graveyard.
Yes, I lived here in Barstow; grew up in Barstow. Went to Yermo Elementary. (I'm 71 now). We visited Calico many times. Always bought rock candy. And we visited the house made of bottles.
What a cool place! That train ride looks like it would be pretty great. I hope you get a chance to go back and ride it when things get back to normal.
We definitely fully intend to go back. Just a matter of when we have time and things open back up a bit more. 😅
Because of Knotts Berry Farm, I always wanted to visit the real Calico Ghost Town because of it!
That actually was 100% the case for us. 😂
I've been there several times , it is hot an desolate, but interesting , go in winter time
The trade off of warmer weather is lower crowd levels but yes, for comfort winter is always better. Especially for a lot of the places we go. 😅
As for the School.. Restoration meant Built A Replica in 1955 slightly smaller then the original School House...but placed in the original Location,, As I was told in another Video here on UA-cam about Calico Ghost Town
We have no doubts that it isn't completely authentic. Much like many times we've researched things though, you often find conflicting information. Perhaps some material was reused... who knows. I'd like to think that could be the case but I could be optimistic. 😅
gone there about 2 times now, first time was july at 110 F , i was ok but my boyfriend was dying LOL went back with a friend to show her & want to go back when its cold again :b its also nice to visit eddies world after
My school took us here on a field trip around 2000
My dad was stationed at the Marine base by Barstow. During the summer months the Marine base sponsored all kinds of activities for the families. One of my favorites was horseback riding. After about 7 or 8 weeks we rode about 2 hours to Calico, tied up our horses at the Saloon and had a sarsaparilla. We spent a couple of hours visiting the town, mineral car ride through a silver mine with black lights to show the silver glow. To end the visit we would go to the general store to get a big jaw breaker for the ride back. Those were the days.
Sounds like very fond memories. I can imagine those being the kind that stick around. Sounds like a lot of fun! 😊
i went there once when i was 11 and now all of a sudden i want to make a Calico showcase game
Been there several times..enjoyed it every time !.,. The only thing that bothered me was the horrendous heat🥵… every time I went was on summer time.
Yeah, it's pretty exposed and the heat can really do a person in if they're not careful. We'd love to go back since a lot of the attractions were closed when we went last year.
Ah I miss this place. Thanks for the memories buddy
We're happy we can share it with you. 👍
Are those chukar partridges on the ground?
They are indeed! 😄
Not native,but pretty.
My kids thought tha 0:52 t's where Halloween actually happened if you look at the Outhouse behind the schoolhouse my family's names are carved in since 1978 my wife's family owns what we call the ice cream shop across from the schoolhouse and the house to your right as you're pulling into Calico these last for 25 years years years years have been flooded with influencers and a lot of cameras which is different but we keep the tradition alive for sure
Oh that's so very cool! We'll have to remember to take a peek if we find ourselves back there again. Thanks for sharing! 👍
Hey! I was living up by Phoenix this last summer. Too bad I just discovered you, we could have done a collab, with social distancing of course lol! I plan on going to Calico when things start opening back up. Thanks for this mighty fine video, prater!! YEEHAA!!
No problem! Calico is a place definitely worth visiting!
I went there about 30 years ago. Thank u so much for showing the whisky bottle house. That was great!!!
Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it! 😄
Went to this attraction a few years ago with an ex and asked her if she packed my camera in my backpack and she said yes. Well, low and behold, when we got there, no camera. Well, thanks for taking me back. LIKE #21. 👍👍👍👍
Glad we could help relive some memories! Sad that we couldn't cover everything for you and that's unfortunate about the camera! All the more reason to return of possible? 😉
Used to stop there on trips to California from Vegas as a kid.
I bet it was a lot of fun! Seems like a wonderland for a kid to explore. 😄
Neat ghost town I went there in one of my early videos Gopro 4 days 🤪
It really is pretty cool even if rebuilt and borrowed from. Would love to go back when all the attractions are open and experience them for ourselves. 😊
How is the drive going there. I’m kinda afraid of high elevation😬
We drove in from Death Valley and there wasn't really anything concerning in terms of elevation.
Appreciate it. Thanks so much@@CactusAtlas
Thanks for the video , I was just there
No problem 👍 Thanks for watching.
Hey, you cannot eat candy and not tell us which one you picked. Haha! Calico is awesome. I was there about 5 years ago.
😂 Would it disappoint to know there was no candy purchase? 😅🤫
@@CactusAtlas Are you kidding? No candy? I was sure you were going to get the kind that looks like little rocks...
In the 90's it was still a bustling ghost town, miss that place.
I used to go there 30 years ago to explore the silver mines nearby. You just push past the "danger" and "no trespassing" signs and you can explore to your heart's content.
Interesting. How intact are those mines?
@@CactusAtlas They were just big tunnels through the rock. They were hundreds of feet long. We never even made it to the end of most of them because - quite frankly - it was too scary. Many of them had large shafts that were at least 200 feet deep or more with water at the bottom. We had crappy flashlights (LED's weren't invented yet) and they barely illuminated the tunnels. We never could see to the bottom of the shafts because they were so dark and deep. These tunnels were dangerous but if you watched where you were going you had a good chance of coming out alive.
And what would you be exploring for??Artifacts??Silver?? Werent you scared of falling thru a hole ?? getting stuck in there or a Cave in?? Rats or Bats???
Don't EVER go past a 'No Trespassing' sign.
Fun memories. Went camping there ( next to Main Street) many years. So fun. So awesome to hear the trains in the early morning while making our coffee. One year my adventurous son and a friend walked up to the dawng Calico sign. Yep park rangers brought him down. Yes Walter Knott got idea for Main Street from Calico.
Very cool! I can only imagine what a unique experience camping there would be! Sounds like you had some good times there. 😄
I try to about once every year. I don’t live too far away. I’m going to go for Halloween but I’m gonna plan a trip alone during the week when it’s not so busy. Great video!
Sounds like fun! Do they have any special decorations or events for Halloween?
The birds are partridges
My grandparents took me there back in the 80s. Back then they had donkeys roaming the streets.
That somehow doesn't surprise me. 😂 Sounds awesome though! 😄
We just went
What a fantastic place-this was a fun trip! Thanks for taking us along. Lots of atmosphere.
Glad you enjoyed it! We got to go back when things were a bit more open than this time. Granted, the subject (our Slim series) wasn't really about Calico itself. LOL
😅😊😅😊
Cute town! We have been through Barstow several times I never knew that ghost town was around there looks like a neat place!
It's a whole lot of fun. Next time you're able to head out west you'll have to stop! And maybe have a sarsaparilla or two. 😄
I was born in Victorville but lived in Barstow. Now I live on the opposite side in Niagara Falls in Canada lol
I was there with my family 1970's ... It was so much fun !