Calico hopes for official silver title

By KELLY DONOVAN/Daily Press Staff Writer

BARSTOW -- Calico Ghost Town could be on its way to becoming the state's official silver rush ghost town.

San Bernardino First District Supervisor Bill Postmus has said that he will start pursuing the silver rush designation sometime in January after the start of the state's next legislative session.

"I'm going to be working with members of our San Bernardino County legislative delegation, so that we can find a member to carry this piece of legislation," Postmus said.

Calico, a former silver mining camp, has the opportunity to be the state's official silver rush ghost town now that the northern California town of Bodie will be the state's official gold rush ghost town.

"I feel that naming it as an official state silver rush ghost town would help separate Calico from other ghost towns in California, and help us get more tourists and San Bernardino County residents to Calico,"

Postmus said. "We've got a lot to offer there, and this is an opportunity or us to really showcase Calico."

Gov. Gray Davis signed a bill Sept. 5 that makes Bodie the official gold rush ghost town. The legislature passed the bill near the end of the session last month.

An initial bill that would have designated Bodie as the state's official ghost town was defeated in the senate in June because of opposition from Calico supporters.

The bill was amended to make Bodie the gold rush ghost town, and Sen. Debra Bowen, D-Marina del Rey, said a bill making Calico the silver rush ghost town could be introduced next year.

Brad Mitzelfelt, Postmus' chief of staff, said Postmus had been opposed to the original bill.

"There was a concern that an official designation for one ghost town could possibly disadvantage other ghost towns when it came to questions of allocating any kind of resources from the state," he said. "So it's pretty much a no-brainer to be opposed to that."

Don Tucker, a Calico spokesman, said he considers the amended bill a great compromise.

"We're very pleased with the way the state is viewing this," he said.

If Calico earns the official silver town recognition, Tucker said he thinks the state's endorsement would help the tourist attraction.

"People pay attention to what the state of California says," he said.

"We deserve the silver mining designation. It's important to us, because it's potentially grant money that could come. The state will help promote the town."

He said the state might help promote the town as part of its regular tourism promotion through collateral material and the Internet.

Calico, which dates to 1881, is located off Interstate 15 north of Barstow. In its heyday, Calico produced $86 million in silver and $45 million in borax. It had a population of about 1,200 and had 22 saloons, China Town and a red-light district.

Calico is already designated as a San Bernardino County Park and a California State Historical Landmark. It attracts about half a million people a year.

Features include a narrow-gauge mining train visitors can ride in and a silver mine visitors can enter.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Kelly Donovan can be reached at kelly_donovan@link.freedom.com or 256-4122.

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