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All the United States California Bridgeport Bodie State Historic Park
AO Edited

Bodie State Historic Park

Standing in a state of "arrested decay," this ghost town allows for a detailed peek into Gold Rush life in an unusually harsh climate.

Bridgeport, California

Added By
ogurantz
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CAPTION
Welcome to Bodie, Ca   Tre Witkowski
  Louchebonvivant / Atlas Obscura User
  Louchebonvivant / Atlas Obscura User
  Louchebonvivant / Atlas Obscura User
  Louchebonvivant / Atlas Obscura User
  Louchebonvivant / Atlas Obscura User
  Louchebonvivant / Atlas Obscura User
  Louchebonvivant / Atlas Obscura User
The church at Bodie, which still sees plenty of coins in the collection plate.   Avoiding Regret - Sandi Hemmerlein
Fuller St., part of the main drag.   Rachel / Atlas Obscura User
Perhaps the most photographed relic in Bodie.   Rachel / Atlas Obscura User
  Rachel / Atlas Obscura User
The first building you come across on the left when entering the town.   Avoiding Regret - Sandi Hemmerlein
  Avoiding Regret - Sandi Hemmerlein
The industrial area of town is not accessible without a guided tour. Danger!   Rachel / Atlas Obscura User
Snow in the desert in April.   Rachel / Atlas Obscura User
The church’s steeple.   Rachel / Atlas Obscura User
Fill ‘er up!   Rachel / Atlas Obscura User
One of the less preserved residences.   Rachel / Atlas Obscura User
  Rachel / Atlas Obscura User
  kimrad / Atlas Obscura User
  leslicarin / Atlas Obscura User
  leslicarin / Atlas Obscura User
  leslicarin / Atlas Obscura User
  leslicarin / Atlas Obscura User
  leslicarin / Atlas Obscura User
  annehiller240 / Atlas Obscura User
Inside the general store.   Rachel / Atlas Obscura User
A well-preserved residence.   Rachel / Atlas Obscura User
The church still accepts donations.   Rachel / Atlas Obscura User
The inside of the church.   Rachel / Atlas Obscura User
  Rachel / Atlas Obscura User
One of the ghost vehicles that litter the landscape.   Rachel / Atlas Obscura User
Mining equipment litters the town, some recognizable, some merely scraps.   Rachel / Atlas Obscura User
Mechanical flotsam.   Rachel / Atlas Obscura User
  Rachel / Atlas Obscura User
Scattered bits of buildings.   Rachel / Atlas Obscura User
A lone fire hydrant.   Rachel / Atlas Obscura User
Inside one of the residences.   Rachel / Atlas Obscura User
Wind whistles through the buildings like they do in the horror films.   Rachel / Atlas Obscura User
Long view, showing most of Bodie. The original town was several times larger, but reduced by fire.   Chassy / Atlas Obscura User
The ghostly streets of Bodie with frozen puddles and snow after a hard and long winter.   Tre Witkowski
The Bodie Athletic Club, equipment still intact.   Tre Witkowski
The Bodie Foundation sponsors events that sometimes include costumes and historical reenactments.   Chassy / Atlas Obscura User
Abandoned Casino.   Chassy / Atlas Obscura User
Bodie included a substantial power station. Elements of the power system are still visible.   Chassy / Atlas Obscura User
Harsh winds and gorgeous architecture   Chelgoroth / Atlas Obscura User
A look into the past   Chelgoroth / Atlas Obscura User
old wagon between buildings   Karvelis / Atlas Obscura User
  liviemay / Atlas Obscura User
  liviemay / Atlas Obscura User
  liviemay / Atlas Obscura User
  liviemay / Atlas Obscura User
  liviemay / Atlas Obscura User
  pauldbentz / Atlas Obscura User
  pauldbentz / Atlas Obscura User
  ellyskube / Atlas Obscura User
  ellyskube / Atlas Obscura User
  ellyskube / Atlas Obscura User
Detail of Bodie’s common tin can siding on houses (used as roofing too) 2012   RogueSuit / Atlas Obscura User
  ellyskube / Atlas Obscura User
Church front, Bodie Ca, 2012   RogueSuit / Atlas Obscura User
Telephone poles leading out of Bodie, Ca. 2012   RogueSuit / Atlas Obscura User
Tiny house, Bodie Ca. 2012   RogueSuit / Atlas Obscura User
Bodie house, 2012   RogueSuit / Atlas Obscura User
Faltering outhouse, Bodie Ca. 2012   RogueSuit / Atlas Obscura User
Hammered tin can rooftops of Bodie, 2012   RogueSuit / Atlas Obscura User
Bodie Shell gas station, 2012   RogueSuit / Atlas Obscura User
Dress form Mannequin through window reflection of Bodie hillside   RogueSuit / Atlas Obscura User
Trestle into mill house.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Camshaft from a stamp mill, by the mill house.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Electric motor in the mill house. Bodie was one of the first camps to be electrified.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Depot and hotel for the Bodie Railway & Timber Co., from Mono Mills.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Steel cyanide vat, 1930s vintage.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Ingot mold in the mill house.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
  joeypesto / Atlas Obscura User
  joeypesto / Atlas Obscura User
  joeypesto / Atlas Obscura User
  joeypesto / Atlas Obscura User
  kimrad / Atlas Obscura User
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About

It was once the most lawless town in California, a place where the fire bell ringing out the ages of those being laid to rest seemed to never stop its toll.

Today, what's left of Bodie is an eerie shell of the rough-and-tumble Gold Rush town, a window into a time long lost. Located in a very uniquely difficult climate of a  desolate, high altitude plateau in the mountains but not in the woods, Bodie was not for the weak of heart—or feeble of constitutions.

Nestled in the Bodie Hills, east of the Sierra Nevada mountains just north of Mono Lake, Bodie grew quickly from a quiet town of 500 people to a rowdy mining city. Its population exploded during the second boom of the California gold rush and the beginning of the Nevada silver rush. By 1879, Bodie boasted a population of 10,000 and had 65 saloons, 50 mining companies, a thriving red-light district in the north end of town, and the worst reputation in the state.

Despite its nasty reputation, gold- and silver-seekers came from every corner of the country to this environment to "see the elephant," as heading West was called. Bodie's promise of gold and silver fortunes even attracted the likes of railroad tycoon Leland Stanford. With fortune hunters pouring in from all over the world, opium dens, brothels and gambling dens popped up for every flavor of wild west entertainment. They came for the gold and stayed for the party.

Perhaps predictably, the mines quickly reached full capacity, and soon the mining companies cut their losses and closed down. Just as fast as Bodie had boomed, it busted, and the population had plummeted below 100 by 1888. Devoted locals held on until the 1920s, when Standard Mining closed down, but despite popular belief, Bodie was never completely abandoned. A few stragglers held down the fort until Bodie was absorbed as a National Landmark in 1962.

Today the windswept streets of Bodie are open to the public. It is the best-preserved ghost town in California, with about 200 structures remaining (about 5% of its original glory), along with rusted-out cars and machinery and boarded-up mines. Many of the building interiors still contain original artifacts and cannot be entered. The state is now restoring many of the buildings, as well as building more tourist-friendly walkways and restroom facilities.

Generally closed during the winter, the most reasonable access to Bodie is dusty highway 270, from highway 395. Call ahead during the swing months between winter and summer to check accessibility. Sometimes, a gate 1.5 miles out keeps away vehicles and advises hikers that the road is not fit to drive on.

Related Tags

Abandoned Mining Ghost Towns Gold Rush Ruins

Know Before You Go

The Bodie Foundation runs a number of events every year. These include Friends of Bodie Day, which includes many historical reenactments; ghost walks; and photo workshops. The Stamp Mill, the only remaining industrial structure, is accessible only by guided tours. These tours can book up quickly. See Bodie Foundation link below for all listings. The park is northeast of Yosemite, 13 miles east of Highway 395 on Bodie Road (Hwy 270), seven miles south of Bridgeport.

Before you set out to visit Bodie, there are a few things you should consider. Because of its altitude Bodie is very cold. Temperatures drop below freezing point 300 days a year. Dress accordingly.

There is no gas station and no food for sale. So fill up your tank and pack a lunch.

If you love photography, bring all your gear with you.

Community Contributors

Added By

ogurantz

Edited By

Rachel, Chassy, ErezSpeiser, TMessick...

  • Rachel
  • Chassy
  • ErezSpeiser
  • TMessick
  • Tre
  • pauldbentz
  • Louchebonvivant
  • Chelgoroth
  • Karvelis
  • liviemay
  • kimrad
  • ellyskube
  • slgwv
  • annehiller240
  • leslicarin
  • joeypesto
  • RogueSuit

Published

May 10, 2010

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Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodie,_California
  • http://www.bodie.com/
  • http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=509
  • http://www.bodiefoundation.org
  • http://www.bodie.com
  • https://californiatravelmedia.com/ghost-town-of-bodie/
Bodie State Historic Park
Bodie Road
Bridgeport, California, 93517
United States
38.208804, -119.014163
Visit Website
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