2/14/2024 0 Comments Calico ghost town![]() Calico was nearly abandoned when silver lost its value in the mid-1890s until it was purchased and restored in the 1950s by Walter Knott, the founder of Knott’s Berry Farm. If you can, drive over while the Ozark leaves are turning.įor information on additional local sites visit my other Ozark stories HERE and HERE.Calico boasts a history just as rich as its residents once were: in 1881, this classic old West mining town was a booming hot spot for silver, attracting over 1,200 silver-searching residents and acting as the center of over 500 nearby mines. ![]() Today the ghost town provides a valuable history lesson. One hundred years ago, East Calico was a lively place. It’s an eerie thing.Īcross the street from the jail are the remains of the feed store, cottonseed sheds and cotton gin.įurther down Walnut Street, signs mark the remains of the garage, creamery, school, tavern, barbershop, movie theatre, hardware store, grocery store, blacksmith shop, telephone exchange, electric power and ice plant, cheese factory, funeral parlor, Ford garage, Mobil Oil, Chevrolet garage, grist mill and White River Propane. This is the only building you can walk inside. On any given Saturday night, up to 20 people were jailed inside the small, dank space. The first building on the left, a small cement hut, served as the city jail from the 1920s to the 1950s. ![]() (If you prefer, you can drive over the bridge and park along Walnut Street in the heart of ghost town.) As you cross Calico Creek, note the trestle bridge, which was constructed in 1941 by local area men. ![]() The terrain is flat and easily accessible. Park near the intersection of Main and Walnut Streets and walk the short distance east on Walnut. (The Visitor Center is a treasure trove of art, history and information, so allow time in your schedule to enjoy this place.) Stop by the Calico Rock Museum and Visitor Center for a map and brochure. Although most of the buildings are overgrown and boarded up, and some are only ghostly shells, all provide an incredible glimpse into the past. Twenty-two descriptive signs provide a wealth of historical information about the 20 original structures still standing. But, respect the no trespassing signs and resist the urge to explore inside the ruins. In recent years, the town had begun to experience a resurgence of tourism ( hello!-best trout fishing anywhere), and besides, who isn’t intrigued by a good ghost town?Īlthough the land is privately owned, the owner allows self-guided walking tours. In 2007, Calico Rock Organization for Revitalization Efforts (CORE) opened East Calico ghost town as a tourist attraction. I’d like to add to that-a town whose only occupant is Mother Nature. When new buildings were constructed, developers built on higher ground west of Calico Creek.Īuthor Lambert Florin, who penned several books about ghost towns of the West, defined a ghost town as “a shadowy semblance of a former self”. Buildings deteriorated in hot sun, heavy snow and rain. Other businesses closed for various reasons and never reopened. Farmers shifted from cotton to livestock, and the once thriving cotton gin closed. So how does a once prosperous albeit colorful section of town become abandoned? Although the history is hazy, a number of events appear to have led to the area’s demise-everything from fire, flood and basic economic supply and demand. Knife and gunfights were common, likely spurred on by the bootleggers who sold moonshine (peppersauce) in the alley behind Main Street (aka Peppersauce Alley). But with growth came growing pains, and East Calico developed the reputation as a wild and tough frontier town. In the 1900s, East Calico was a bona fide boomtown, an important rail and river hub for area zinc mining, timber and cotton farming. – Photo courtesy of The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies If history is your thing, the oldest section of town, known as East Calico, is worth a special trip to Izard County.Ĭalico Rock is the only town in America that boasts an authentic ghost town within its city limits. Calico Rock, overlooking beautiful White River, is one of my favorite places to while away the time antiquing, hiking, and exploring the history of our earliest Ozark settlers.
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