J. Rusolo Ward

With the cold temperatures here in the Northeast, I started getting nostalgic for days gone by when I was first married and living in California.  In August of 1998, my mother flew out for a visit, and we (OK I hate driving; it was Mark doing the driving and Mom and I did the riding) drove out to Calico.

For those of you not in the know, Calico is a ghost town!  No, it’s not really haunted – at least I didn’t get any vibes.  Scooby-Doo didn’t put in an appearance.  And I didn’t find myself locked in the jail by some crazy prospector like in The Brady Bunch.  Still, it was fun!

Calico was founded in 1881 as a mining town in the Calico Mountains of the Mojave Desert.  Silver was the ore of choice.  The original settlers were Chinese, English, Irish, Greek, French, Dutch, Native Americans and Americans.  It has a fascinating history and is a great place to take the family if you’re road-tripping along the West Coast of the United States.  You can learn more about it on their site:

Calico Ghost Town

If you’ve been there, or eventually get there, please share your pictures.  In the meantime, I hope you enjoy mine!