Bismarck Camp
Miners at Calico - courtesy Orange County Archives
CALICO GAVE RISE to an important satellite settlement: Bismarck Camp. The camp was a creature of the Bismarck Mine and was located in an area dubbed East Calico. Despite the heat of August, 1884, about 250 men were said to be working around the mine, where "somewhere in Oriental canyon we expect a town to spring up that will vie with Calico. . . ." The mine itself was employing 20 men and sending out 10 tons of ore daily to Hawley's mill. About 100 men were employed at the camp in December, for "quite a village" was in fact springing up. The settlement's 25 buildings included two good hotels, a store "doing a profitable business," and a saloon "under construction."