Guide to Visiting Bodie Ghost Town, CA: The Wild West Frozen in Time

I emotion clip question experiences – the accidental to immerse yourself into past eras and a ideate however beingness erstwhile was. So I was excited to beryllium capable to research a real-life, Wild West municipality astatine Bodie State Historic Park .

Walking astir this erstwhile golden mining town, present nicknamed Bodie Ghost Town, enactment it into position for maine the beingness I present person – wherefore I tin beryllium grateful for it, however I tin springiness acknowledgment to those who came earlier maine to marque truthful overmuch possible, and to bespeak connected what the values and priorities of the past whitethorn person been, and however they’ve present changed.

Loved this motortruck scene!

After visiting Bodie State Historic Park, a erstwhile thriving but besides isolated gold-mining municipality acceptable 8,275 ft. precocious successful the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Northeastern California, I felt compared to stock my acquisition with everyone.

This is simply a genuine California gold-mining shade town, wherever I witnessed the champion illustration of “life frozen successful time” – but successful the golden rush.

Here is everything you request to cognize astir visiting Bodie State Historic Park.

The History of the Bodie Ghost Town, California

The homes connected the bully side

The municipality of Bodie is named aft William (a.k.a. Waterman) S. Bodey, who successful 1859, portion prospecting with 3 prospectors successful this gold-laden valley, discovered golden successful a watercourse furniture adjacent what is present called Bodie Bluff. (a motion creator mistakenly changed the spelling to Bodie later!)

Sadly, Bodie ne'er adjacent saw his luck realized oregon the beginnings of this municipality arsenic helium perished successful a fierce blizzard not agelong aft discovering the gold.

A mill was established successful 1861 and the municipality began to grow. It’s beginnings were faltering until successful 1875, Bodie’s luck changed erstwhile 1 of the mines caved successful revealing a immense assemblage of gold.

Word made it to San Francisco and Bodie went Boom!

There’s adjacent a communicative astir a small miss who wrote successful a diary discovered here, “Goodbye God, I’m going to Bodie!” though this communicative changes depending connected who tells it!

The saloon and the gym

By its highest successful 1879, Bodie had a colonisation of 7,000–10,000 townspeople, 1 of the biggest towns successful this country astatine the time, and it produced much than $35 cardinal successful golden and silver.

As with astir golden mining towns the wealthiness didn’t past long.

By 1881, the mines began to deplete, and soon the colonisation dwindled to astir 1500 people. A room occurrence successful the summertime of 1892 destroyed overmuch of municipality to the westbound of main street.

The Bodie Stamp Mill

By the 1890 hydraulic machinery bought a small much maturation to Bodie, but by 1932 different occurrence wiped retired astir of the municipality (started by a cheeky three-year-old. See below). The past idiosyncratic near successful the 1940s.

In 1962, California State Parks moved into support Bodie by designating it a National Historic Site and State Historic Park.

It is preserved in a “State of Arrested Decay”, meaning Bodie is precisely arsenic it looks erstwhile abandoned successful 1942, close down to goods inactive connected the market support and the weights lying astir connected the gym floor.

The authorities parkland does not reconstruct oregon recreate the buildings, alternatively preserving them successful their aged and weathered 1880s appearance.

There are implicit 1 100 abandoned woody buildings lining the dusty, streets of the Bodie shade municipality for visitors to research either connected their ain connected a Bodie guided tour. 

Taking prominence connected the elevation and overlooking the municipality is the Bodie Stamp Mill, which is closed disconnected to gawkers owed to unstable sections of the park, but I judge you tin articulation a Stamp Mill circuit to sojourn present specifically.

Things to bash astatine Bodie State Historic Park 

1. Learn astir the tone of Bodie Ghost Town connected a guided tour

Enjoying Bodie shade municipality circuit arsenic a group

There are assorted nationalist and backstage tours disposable of the Bodie Ghost Town. See present for options.

I highly urge it arsenic it your knowledgeable usher volition bring the municipality of Bodie to beingness for you. Our usher really lives successful the municipality of Bodie California for astir of the twelvemonth on with a fistful of different workers.

Our usher shared the past of Bodie and much astir the tone of the municipality arsenic she walked america astir the streets including the mile agelong main thoroughfare which divided the municipality betwixt the bully and atrocious side.

The wide dusty streets of Bodie

In Bodie you were either rubbing shoulders with industrious miners and palmy businesspeople oregon nefarious gunfighters and gamblers.

It had a estimation for lawlessness, signifier holdups, thoroughfare fights, and weapon fights and became known arsenic a shooters town.

Tombstone had thing connected the Wild West-style gunfights often erupting passim the town, nary uncertainty aft a changeable oregon 2 astatine immoderate 1 of the rumored sixty-five saloons, arsenic good arsenic brothels and gambling dens.

The “bad side” was riddled with opium dens and a reddish airy territory (aptly named Virgin Alley oregon Maiden Lane) wherever galore women were forced into prostitution to screen their costs erstwhile their husbands died successful the mines.

Bodie adjacent had its ain Chinatown, pushed implicit the ridge and (out of sights of the whites). It created by the Chinese immigrants who wanted to support their ain customs and traditions.

They had their ain wide stories, boarding houses, gambling halls, cabins, and adjacent a Taoist Temple.

Note the backward S connected the Shooting Gallery sign

Our usher shared achromatic and achromatic photos of Bodie successful its hey time including beingness extracurricular the changeless 24-hour sound of the mines operating, specified the aged shot tract and racetrack, wherever the townsfolk gathered to play and celebrate.

We walked astir the remains of their homes, immoderate fancier than others, and each with gardens wherever thing grew, but a lonely rhubarb works and the ubiquitous yellowish wildflowers overtaking the dirt.

All nutrient and supplies had to beryllium shipped into Bodie, further highlighting the challenges of beingness successful this California precocious upland town.

The availability of lumber, which was indispensable for gathering construction, excavation support, and fuel, was a large contented arsenic determination were truthful fewer trees and it was hauled successful and retired by mules until the a railroad was built successful 1881 called the Bodie Railway & Lumber Company, bringing lumber, cordwood, and timbers to the apical of the mining territory from Mono Mills southbound of Mono Lake.

Peeking into the homes of Bodie

We peeked into the windows of the Methodist church, schoolhouse, jailhouse barbershop, saloon, and different buildings wherever bottles, stocked shelves, desks, and trash was near strewn connected the floor.

It’s arsenic if everyone conscionable walked retired and near it arsenic it was.

Wait a infinitesimal they did!

It was excessively costly for the residents to instrumentality their possessions with them. They were charged precocious toll fees by the value connected the roads out. It was cheaper for them to permission it and past statesman anew successful their caller homes.

Peeking into the buildings was my favourite portion to the circuit arsenic it gave a large penetration into beingness backmost past and however rather akin it was to america now.

The colony gym had punching bags and weights lying around, the barroom had a excavation table, the schoolhouse had drawings connected the chalkboards, a globe, and maps lying astir and whale pictures connected the walls depicting alphabet sounds, and the wide store adjacent had dusty condoms inactive connected the shelf.

What surprised, much shocked, maine was however akin the schoolhouse country of the Bodie past is to our schoolhouse rooms today.

Not a batch has changed, and with acquisition I consciousness it should beryllium ever evolving! I mean look astatine those desks – are they excessively antithetic to the uncomfortable things we inactive marque our kids beryllium in?

Schoolhouse

The globe successful the schoolhouse

Saloon

Rooms filled with coffins

Saloon

General store

The circuit volition stock the communicative and past of Bodie and its golden mines, but besides that of the characters who lived present creating the “Bad Man from Bodie” reputation.

My favorites were the weapon combatant who had his limb changeable disconnected and became a defence lawyer to marque thing spell his life, and the cheeky 3 twelvemonth old, who upset with being reprimanded astatine a party, snuck away, and threw a lucifer connected the ground, returning to amusement the townsfolk what helium had done – good they Kinda saw the flames that destroyed overmuch of the town!!

After that fire, the municipality dilatory began to demise and soon aft the past remaining residents left.

The cemetery overlooking Bodie Town

Except for those successful the cemetery. They are inactive lasting defender implicit the municipality and moving muck astatine nighttime keeping Bodies estimation arsenic THE Wild West municipality of California.

The cemetery is located at the extremity of a abbreviated footpath connected the outskirts of municipality down an ornate fence. It’s worthy walking retired present for the presumption backmost implicit the municipality and surrounding hills alone.

Buried successful this cemetery are the respectable residents of the town, astir noted by the fancy headstones.

A Poignant headstone

I’ve lone since learned that extracurricular the ornate obstruction is the unmarked Boot Hill cemetery, reserved for the nefarious Bodie characters. I privation I got to spot and acquisition that presence! Do archer your stories.

2. Enjoy a nationalist afterhours Ghost Walk evening

You tin sojourn afterhours connected a Ghost Walk of Bodie connected circumstantial nights of the year, tally by the Bodie Foundation. These shade walks let you to enactment successful the parkland until 10pm connected Bodie Ghost Walks.

3. Take a Stamp Mill Tour

You tin acquisition tickets for a Stamp Mills Tour from the museum. Tours tally seasonally and are $6 per idiosyncratic and instrumentality astir 45-60 minutes.

4. Take a travel to Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve

The mystical Mono Lake, California

Less than 40 minutes thrust distant is Mono Lake, a unsocial earthy improvement worthy exploring. This water has nary runoff, and truthful the h2o has go saline – causing immense tufas of mineral stone to signifier connected its water’s edge.

You tin work each astir it successful our implicit usher here.

Bodie State Historic Park Opening Hours & Entrance Fee

Welcome to Bodie Ghost town

Bodie State Park, CA is unfastened each year. However, due to the fact that of the precocious elevation (8375 feet), it is accessible lone by skis, snowshoes oregon snowmobiles during wintertime months. Snowmobiles indispensable enactment connected designated roads successful the Bodie Hills. 

Bodie State Historic Park costs $8 for adults, $5 for children nether sixteen.

Tips for visiting Bodie Ghost Town

There are nary commercialized facilities similar substance astatine Bodie State Historic Park, due to the fact that that is truthful 1990s. Check the upwind and roadworthy conditions earlier visiting, arsenic mud tin beryllium an contented pursuing Spring, and the roadworthy volition beryllium impassable aft a snowstorm.

So, capable the vessel and your bags with plentifulness of snacks and food. I’d let for astatine slightest 2 hours to research properly. There are a fewer tiny hills to locomotion up but worthy it for the view!

There are restrooms by the parking batch and a tiny museum, acquisition store and bookstore selling souvenirs successful 1 of the aged buildings.

Wear sunscreen and hole for harsh sun, this is the godforsaken afterall.

You tin bring dogs successful the parkland arsenic agelong arsenic they are kept connected a leash.

How To Get To Bodie Ghost Town

Bodie is located successful the Eastern Sierra adjacent to Bridgeport, June Lake, Lee Vining, Mono Lake and Yosemite National Park.

It is located successful a distant country accessed by State Route 270, 7 miles south-east of Bridgeport. The past 3 miles into Bodie is on a rough, gravel road. The views, portion sparse, are beautiful.

We were staying successful Mammoth Lakes, successful the bosom of Mono County, which is forty-eight miles southbound of Bodie.

Final Reflections

This sojourn to Bodie had maine reasoning astir however would they sphere our towns would successful 1 100 years’ time? Would radical beryllium roaming the streets and gawking done windows?

It feels similar we unrecorded specified transient disconnected lifestyles present that galore radical don’t go ingrained successful a assemblage capable for our stories to beryllium recalled and shared.

This blog is the spot I support my stories and memories to stock due to the fact that I’m a traveler ever moving to the adjacent spot that holds the golden for maine and decidedly leaving my possessions down arsenic they’re excessively cumbersome and costly to resistance along.

Or volition beryllium the atrocious procreation that near each towns empty?

The depository and bookstore

I conjecture present I’m penning a antithetic communicative to beryllium remembered and shared. One with roots successful a Raleigh vicinity wherever neighbors sojourn with homemade cookies and tomatoes grown from their gardens.

Where our girls person friends knocking connected the doorway to spell retired thrust bikes connected the thoroughfare together, and we person a firepit arsenic a gathering space. And I anticipation we’re utilizing this portion of our communicative to service our assemblage successful a bully way.

And I’m glad, I, and my girls present unrecorded successful a nine wherever they tin make their ain income, and not person forced into prostitution if their hubby dies. Perspective connected however present our beingness has changed acknowledgment to the thousands who person gone earlier america to pave an easier path.

So, I conjecture determination whitethorn beryllium stories told aft all. I conscionable anticipation nary 1 throws immoderate matches down successful a bully aged 3-year-old dummy spit and destroys my cookware of gold. (That’ pacifier for Americans)

See much successful my reel:

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Do you similar visiting shade towns? Are you readying to sojourn Bodie? Let america cognize successful the comments.