Wild West Lives on at California's Ghost Towns

The Wild West and the mining of the late 1800’sThe Calico Ghost Town is just northeast of Barstow
are a rich part of California’s heritage, and whatand, because we were visiting in late afternoon, we
better way to experience the past than to visitdecided to stay over. We were pleasantly surprised
California’s ghost towns? The Golden State’sby the accommodations available at the new Holiday
ghost towns are more about history than spooks, andInn Express which offered surprisingly upscale rooms
you’ll spend hours exploring every nook and crannyand an overall feel that was modern and pleasing, with
of sometimes dusty old buildings in various states ofgorgeous desert views right out the window.
disrepair or restoration. Here are two distinct examplesIf you’re traveling by RV, Calico offers campsites
to get you started.right on the park property.
CalicoFor more information on Calico Ghost Town, phone
Just about the time the drive from Los Angeles to Las1-800-TO-CALICO or visit
Vegas gets a little tedious, up comes the Interstate 15Bodie
exit to Calico Ghost Town – a stop worth makingIf you’re looking for a California ghost town that is
that will give you a chance to stretch your legs anda little less commercial, the state has helped to restore
learn a little California history at the same time.the town of Bodie on the eastern edge of the Sierra
This is a true ghost town, although not the scary typeNevada range. This one will be a little harder to get to
and really as much an amusement park as a historicaland will require a lot more walking. But it will be worth it.
dig. Some of the original town has been refurbished,If you thought those underwater photos of the Titanic
some re-constructed, and some buildings created justwere at once haunting and mesmerizing, Bodie gives
for tourists. The town was carved out of the colorfulyou the same feeling. Just as you imagined what life
hills of the Mojave Desert back in 1881 and todaymust have been like in those last fateful hours of the
offers a fascinating glimpse of what life might haveTitanic’s tragic maiden voyage, a look inside the
been like for the borax and silver miners of the 19thmany remaining buildings at Bodie will stir you to ponder
Century.just how life had been during those years back in the
If Calico looks in some places a little like parts of1880s when Bodie was bustling with 10,000 souls.
Knott’s Berry Farm, it’s because Calico wasIn 1859, gold was discovered near this town by
once owned by Walter Knott, the popular amusementWaterman S. Body and townspeople paid homage to
park’s founder. He gave the property to SanBody by naming the town after him with one slight
Bernardino County in 1966 and it has since become avariation: The residents were concerned that Body
regional park complete with its own historian and manywould be pronounced as it is spelled so they changed
authentic buildings and furnishings. Mixed in with thethe spelling to Bodie.
history is a good deal of commerce – from eateriesAs mining on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada
to crafts shops to gift shops – that caters to thewent into decline, miners crossed the mountains to
busloads of tourists who find this a convenient stopsearch for other sources of gold and, soon, with the
half way between L.A. and Vegas.discovery of such deposits as the famed Comstock
This ghost town is not dusty and dirty like lessLode at Virginia City, this whole area east of the
developed places that still have dirt roads andmountains began to surge with the influx of miners.
sagebrush tumbling through town. The streets areBy all accounts, it was wild, raucous sort of existence
paved, the trails are well-marked and the historicalduring the 1880’s as miners and other residents
exhibits each have descriptions that help you get aindulged themselves at the 65 saloons that had sprung
sense of what you are seeing. The surrounding hillsup all over town. Killings were said to be an almost
provide a scenic backdrop and you begin to realize thisdaily occurrence. According to the park service, Bodie
place was called Calico for a reason; blue, red, gray,was also the scene of many robberies, stage holdups
green, vermilion, brown and yellow can be seen inand street fights. Along Bonanza Street, Maiden Lane
patches along the craggy hillsides.and Virgin Alley, ladies of the night set up a row of
Like most ghost towns, Calico was once a bustlingone-room cabins called "cribs."
place where prospectors came to find their riches inHaving read all the stories about Bodie, we were
the mines. Both silver and borax were taken fromprimed to see just what was left of this town and its
more than 500 local mines. This made it possible forcolorful past. The country road to Bodie is clearly
the town to grow to more than 1,200 people andmarked on US 395 just south of Bridgeport, and our
sustain many local businesses – including 22 saloons.anticipation grew with each of the 13 winding miles.
When the price of silver was cut in half, the town’sAlong the way we could see in our rearview mirrors
hay days were over and the residents eventuallythe panoramic views of the Sierra range that became
moved away.more and more spectacular as we climbed closer to
We spent a couple of hours in Calico, where MainBodie’s 8,300-foot elevation.
Street is a pleasant walk of maybe four city blocks,Then, at the top of the grade and just around a corner,
each packed with historical attractions, stores andthere stood Bodie. From a distance it didn’t look like
surprises. For example, you can visit the Calico Jail,a complete town but rather a lot of random
where Calico’s gunfighters were hauled off toout-buildings spread over a few modest hills. Then, as
serve time. There is a visitor’s center that includeswe came closer, the buildings began to take shape
vintage photographs, historic newspapers and– a church and steeple at the edge of town, a few
interpretive materials to help you understand theremarkably well preserved houses, and then a few
town’s history. There’s a place to do some goldlarger Main Street buildings that looked like they had
panning and another called the Mystery Shack – asbeen built for a Western movie – except this was
you might expect from a man named Knotts. Plan tothe real thing. This was a real town where real
have your lunch at Lil’s Saloon – nothing fancycowboys had real gunfights.
to eat here, but just beyond those swinging saloonMaybe it’s because we’re more accustomed
doors is a bar that looks like it came out of ato visiting movie lots and fake western towns, but
Hollywood Western. And, yes, families are welcome.somehow we weren’t quite prepared for our first
There aren’t any true amusement park rides, butglimpse into one of these buildings – which
there is a coal train you can ride on a short loop whilehappened to be the old Methodist Church. There,
getting a history lesson from the train’s engineer.covered in a thick layer of dust, were the hand-carved
We also enjoyed stepping into a re-created mine shaftpews, the pulpit and an ornate pipe organ. It seemed
where you can get a sense of the darkness andthat, with just a bit of a scrub down, this church could
claustrophobia under the mountain – and do itbe ready to host a congregation this coming Sunday.
safely. There’s a house made of bottles andAnd that’s when the Titanic effect started to kick
several other oddities that are fun to come across.in. We had come to see the buildings of a town that
You’ll see miners’ homes carved out of thehad its hay day more than a hundred years ago, but
hillsides, and a variety of free-standing Old West stylesomehow we had not realized that this historic park
buildings.was much more than a set of buildings – many of
If you still need a little more help imagining what thethose buildings are, in fact, mini-museums still housing
Wild West was really like, the town’s modern daythe artifacts of the day. In some cases, it looks like the
"gunfighters" will oblige with shoot-outs andresidents just got up and left one day, but didn’t
demonstrations on Main Street.take anything with them.