History
Bodie is an abandoned town in California (USA), now a tourist attraction. The town’s founding in 1859 is closely linked to the discovery of gold in the area. Its discoverer (William S. Bodey), however, never got to see the town flourish – he died in a snowstorm that same year. The residents decided to name the town after him (apparently they deliberately changed the spelling to ensure the correct pronunciation).
At its peak (1879) about 10,000 people lived there and there were about 250 buildings – including houses, fire stations, hotels, jails, shops, saloons, brothels, casinos, newspapers, breweries, churches, banks and a school. In those days Bodie was better known for its lawlessness than its wealth – robberies, street fights and murders were an everyday occurrence.
Because of the fires that burned down a large part of the town, the lack of new sources of gold and the economic crisis, the town gradually emptied. By 1886 Bodie’s population had fallen to about 1500. In 1942 mining finally stopped, and the last residents left not long after – Bodie became a ghost town. Since 1962 it has been a National Historic Landmark District.
110 buildings have survived (including a church, a school, hotels and shops), some of them in really good condition – the interiors remain unchanged, still stocked with goods and furniture. Walking around the town, we could see what life was like here back then – when people left their homes, they left all their belongings behind. They’re easy to find – at the entrance you get a map (like in the photo below) – buildings that no longer exist aren’t filled in grey; you can only see their outlines.
Bodie lies at 2553 m above sea level. In winter it can be hard to get there (because of snow/mud). So it’s worth being prepared for the weather – even in summer a jacket may come in handy, and in full sun sunscreen is useful too. On the last stretch of the drive the tarmac ends and a gravel road begins.
Several paranormal stories are linked to Bodie. One of them says that anyone who takes any object from the town will be struck by misfortune, which will last until it is returned. It’s also said that the J.S. Cain house, on the corner of Green and Park streets, is haunted by the ghost of a Chinese maid, the Gregory house by the ghost of an old woman (sitting in a rocking chair and knitting), and the Mendocini house by… Mrs Mendocini – apparently when you go in you can smell cooking and hear party sounds and children laughing. Visitors to the Dechambeau Hotel have also reportedly seen a woman looking out of an upstairs window.
Practical information:
- Admission: $8 for adults, $5 for children under 16
- Time needed: 2-3 hours
- Location: California (near the Nevada border); the nearest town is Bridgeport, and Mono Lake and Yosemite National Park are also nearby – see the map below. We came from Lee Vining – there and back it was 102 km.
- Opening hours: 9-18 in summer (15 May – 31 October) and 9-15 in winter (1 November – 14 May)
- Up-to-date information on the Bodie SHP (ca.gov) website
Map:
