Welcome to Calico: The Mystery Shack

One of my friends had told me that I really needed to experience the Mystery Shack at Calico. When I was walking down the Main Street, the girl working at this “attraction” who sold me my entrance ticket said, “This must be your first time to Calico.” With wonderment I asked how she knew. “Because you’re stopping to take photos of everything!” Drats...blew my cover as a first timer. In the waiting area, there are a number of these little visual puzzles. So much fun!



I had a private tour, as Calico was truly a Ghost Town on the day I visited. She was super nice and did an excellent job with the information and the puns.



I was able to see the pool table with balls that roll up:


The broom that (seemingly) defies gravity!



Thanks to the mysteries of COVID, I was not allowed to experience the chair that is almost impossible to get up from.



The floating disconnected spigot that still has water flowing from it!



Later in my visit, I took a snap of the Mystery Shack from above in an attempt to capture all of its ramshackle goodness:



Up until about 2000, Knott’s Berry Farm had a similar attraction called The Haunted Shack. It is still missed today by guests who were once able to walk through its doorways.

See more Calico Ghost Town photos at my main website.

Welcome to Calico, Pt. 1

I’ve already taken you to the cemetery; now it’s time to visit the Ghost Town itself. I arrived shortly after it had opened that morning and the parking lot was practically empty. Even Ghost Towns are subject to the ramifications of COVID.

On the plus side, fewer people meant better photos for me. The big negative was that the place literally was like a ghost town, with many of the shops/restaurants closed during the week. Still, I was glad to finally make it here and see what it was all about.

If you don’t know the history behind it, here’s the down and dirty: Calico is an old West mining town dating back to 1881 that produced over $20 million in silver ore until 1896, when silver began to lose its value. Walter Knott (of Knott’s Berry Farm fame) purchased the abandoned town in 1951 and restored all but five original buildings to look as they did in the 1880's. Calico received State Historical Landmark 782 and in 2005 was proclaimed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to be California's Silver Rush Ghost Town.

Many of the buildings were instantly recognizable to me, as it appeared that they hadn’t changed much from the vintage images I had collected over the years.

The town was festively decorated for Halloween, with plenty of elements from “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

More to come, as right now I want to enjoy my day off. Happy Veterans Day! Many thanks to those who served this country over the years to protect our freedoms. Let’s hope we can continue to enjoy them.

See more Calico Ghost Town photos at my main website.

Calico Cemetery

\ I crossed another one off the bucket list by finally making the trek to Calico Ghost Town in Yermo, California. Today’s post focuses solely on the town’s cemetery, shown in this July 1961 image, followed by the contemporary shot that I captured one morning at sunrise.



Sunrise at Calico…sounds like a tasty beverage or maybe a Lifetime TV movie.



Sometimes called Boot Hill Cemetery, this burial ground is about as rustic as they come, with very few decorative flourishes.



The cross on the hill offered little protection, as over the years, the original headstones were pilfered.



In the 1960’s, the great mystery of how many people were actually buried here began to be discovered.



Some of the headstones that remained were discovered to be fakes, such as the one claiming Wyatt Earp to have been buried here. All in the name of tourism.



Thanks to the research that was done, it appears that approximately 160 people were buried here, with only about 49 of those able to be identified.



One day I hope to return again to be able to walk around this historic graveyard when the gate is actually open.

See more Calico Ghost Town photos at my main website.

Back to Knott's, Pt. 4: Calico Mine Ride

When we last visited Knott's Berry Farm together, I left you at the entrance to the Calico Mine Company. Today, it's time to board the train!



Designed by Bud Hurlbut, this attraction has been entertaining guests since November 1960. And yes, guests of today need a simple common sense reminder:



Lighting can make all the difference:





These scenes with the animatronics look huge and are so impressive; would they be if the lights were on? Probably not, but that's all part of the illusion.



One of the almost fifty animatronic figures in this attraction:





My favorite scene: The Cavern/Heaven Room with the ethereal music playing in the background:





A brief trip back out into the sunshine:



Those vultures are just waiting for a snack:



And then back into the darkness...



for an explosive finale!



See more Calico Mine Ride photos at my main website.

Back to Knott's, Pt. 2

This post focuses on the main (actually, probably the only) reason I visit Knott's Berry Farm: GHOST TOWN! I love the old west town that Walter Knott "collected" and assembled to form a cohesive village of yesteryear. The first shot is a panorama of the Wagon Camp. This shows my main beef with Knott's Berry Farm: the sightlines. You see the old AND the new together, and it really breaks the fantasy effect of feeling like you are back in the Old West.

Gold Trails Hotel:



Those familiar figures outside the hotel that have sat and posed with thousands of guests over the years.



I was SOOOOO disappointed to be told that the peek-ins no longer existed in the Park. Here's Hop Wing Lee's Laundry:



This figure that used to be visible through the window is no longer on display, and neither are the other ones that formerly entertained guests at Knott's. I was told they were damaged during Knott's Scary Farm by the guests.



Apparently this one was spared the chopping block:



A detailed view of the signage:



No peek-in here; it's a real-live horse!



The Blacksmith is real, too, and very friendly with guests:



This gal was making ornaments:



The Post Office is not in use, but it was fun to peek around:









A view of Goldie's:



The Jail is this way:



This was the first time I'd actually seen this guy in action, taking requests for Sad Eye Joe:



The School House was in session:



I could see myself wearing this at times.





I wonder if this ever gets played?



The Calico Saloon:







Boot Hill Cemetery is another example of bad sightlines:





I wonder how much this guy makes a year?



Still more to come! See more Knott's Berry Farm photos at my main website.