Back to the 1800’s

For years we’ve traveled back and forth from Southern California to Las Vegas and noticed signs for "Calico Ghost Town."  There’s an exit on the I-15 freeway for Ghost Town Road and the only times we’ve ever pulled off there was to eat at Peggy Sue’s 50's Diner.  On our last trip to Orange County we decided to get off and see what this “Ghost Town” was all about.  Once we pulled off the freeway, we drove about three miles on a dirt road and followed the signs to Calico.

Calico is recognized as a County Regional Park and has camping cabins with restrooms, and showers, along with full hookups for off highway vehicle camping.  The town itself is open every day from 8-5 except Christmas Day.

There was a line of cars waiting to get in and when we got up to the booth there was the cutest young woman who was taking the money.  The sign said Adults $8.00, Youth $5.00 and Children under five are free.   Denny asked if there was a senior rate, she said “Well I’ll tell ya, my Nana always said seniors were just recycled teenagers so you fall into this category” and she pointed at the Youth price.  We could tell this was going to be a good time.  We drove through the gate and back in time, back to the 1800’s.

There is a general store, a craft shop, a saloon and an assortment of other establishments.  There are replicas of the old school house,  the hotel and the house that Lucy Lane lived in. There's even an area where you can pan for gold.  You can walk around the cemetery and shop for rocks, minerals, gems and jewelry. 

We were just in time for a good old fashioned gun fight and I’m telling you it was hilarious.  There were two men and a woman, one of the men had shot the woman's horse.  It was a great skit put on by these folks and when it was over there was some talk about a hanging that was going to take place later in the day.
 

If you’re ever driving to or from Vegas on the I-15, take an hour or so and check it out. Its great fun for kids and adults. Calico is one of the few remaining original mining towns of the western U.S.

Mr. Walter Knott, founder of Knott’s Berry farm donated Calico to San Bernardino County in 1966.  It’s located just north of Barstow, California on the I-15 freeway.