Bodie Ghost Town (Mono County, California)

Gold was discovered by Waterman S. Body in 1859 in the rugged hills a few miles north of Mono Lake, and where there is gold, men will soon follow. In just a few short years, Bodie (which was named after Waterman, but changed the spelling to ensure proper pronunciation) grew up into royalty in the history of boomtowns. "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy" or so history tells us.

The drive to Bodie is only about 13 miles off of 395 just north of Eagle Mountain. The first 10 miles of the road are paved, but it seen becomes a rugged gravel road complete with pot holes and washboard effects. Luckily the jeep handles it far better than most of the RV's that I pass along the way. Upon arriving at the park entrance (oh yea, Bodie was abandoned around 1942 and preserved as a California state park in 1962), I pay the entrance fee and find the parking lot.

 

My legs are still a little fatigued from the hike in Yosemite, but I manage to do a circuit around what remains of this ghost town, which was once home to 10,000 residents. While I have visited a few old west ghost towns before, I'm amazed to see how much of this one still remains. I would estimate that there are still 100+ buildings standing, including one of the mills, which dominates the Eastern hill overlooking the city.

 

Ghost towns are always interesting to me. They seem to be a place frozen in time, and the state has left this one in what they call an arrested state of decay to preserve the place as it was. As I understand it, an arrested state of decay means that while they will not repair anything, they will take measures to prevent any further destruction from the ravages of time or weather or whatever may come along.

 

Peaking in the window of the old schoolhouse, it's as if the students left at recess and never returned. Textbooks with a thick coat of dust fill the room, and maps line the walls. There is even some writing on the chalkboard, but It is difficult to make out anything other than the arithmetic problems. By the way little Johnny, six minus three is not two!

After walking around a bit more, I make my way back to the jeep and head home. It's been a long day and I'm ready to veg out for a while. Bodie was definitely worth the detour though.