Calico, CA

Calico, CA 9/17/09

The geologic formations give visitors a wonderful scenic backdrop for their visit to Calico Ghost Town. The towns name comes from the great variety of colors of the soil and rocks in the area.
Calico is almost 127 years old. It was a bustling place with prospectors searching for its mineral riches. Silver was king in the Calico Mining District and Calico was a boomtown producing $86 million in silver and in borax they produced $45 million, with a population of the time at 1,200 in 1887. Like most towns of the early West, when the price of silver dropped from $1.31 an ounce to $.63, Calico became a ghost of its former self. By 2001 there were 8 residences.
The area has a great geologic and paleontological history. Fossils of extinct horse, pocket mice and kangaroo & wood rats which are dated at about 1.5 my. The Mojave Desert had cooler temps and increased rainfall with an abundance of plants. Across the valley is the bed of the Mojave River, which now runs underground. Geologic history in this area spans 600 mys.
The weather is very hot, but it’s a dry heat…HaHa. The stars at night are brilliantly clear with the Milky Way in clear view. Amazing!