The Ghost Town of Bodie

Click on any photo to see a larger version
After driving for 10 miles on Highway 270 and an additional 3 miles on an unpaved dirt road, the hidden town of Bodie emerged. This is the remains of Bodie - now a forgotten ghost town. Only 5 percent of the buildings from the 1880 heyday remain. Bodie was named after Waterman S. Body who discovered gold here in 1859. Prospectors crossed the eastern Sierra Nevada in 1859 to search for gold - as a result of the decline of mining along the western slope of the Sierras. The old methodist church can be seen to the left in this picture. It was erected in 1882, and is the only church still standing in Bodie. By 1879, Bodie boasted a population of about then thousand and was only second to none for wickedness, badmen and "the worst climate out of doors." This small sawmill was used for cutting firewood. With snow as much as 20 feet deep, winds to 100 miles and hour, and temperatures down to 30 or even 40 degrees below zero, plenty of firewood was needed to keep Bodie's poorly constructed houses warm during the harsh winters. The winter of 1878/1879 was especially severe, and Bodie residents, many of them new arrivals, where not adequately prepared. Many died of exposure, disease or violence. Preparing for a Bodie winter was, and still is, a monumental task. This is the Donnelly House. Charlie Donnelly was a butcher who married English artist Annie Pagdin. Later this house was occupied by E. W. Billeb and his wife Dolly. Mr. Billeb was the last superintendent and manager of old Bodie and BEnton Railroad. The garden in front of this house was the only green spot in town. This is the site of Bodie Bank. It escaped the fire of 1892, but was destroyed in the fire of 1932. What you see here is the remains of the vault. It was robbed on September 1, 1916, by four men who got away with $4,000 in money and jewelry. This is the town jail. Only one prisoner is known to have escaped. Bail for "guests" was $5. Joseph DeRoche was taken from here and hanged. Killings occurred with monotonous regularity, sometimes becoming almost daily events. The fire bell, which tolled the ages of the decreased when they were buried, rang often and long. Robberies, stage holdups and street fights provided variety, and the town's 65 saloons offered many opportunities for relaxation after hard days of work in the mines. The Standard Mine yielded nearly $15 million over 25 years, and its success caused the 1878 rush to Bodie. Within a year, the population rose from about twenty to an estimated ten thousand miners, gamblers and other entrepeneurs. The mill was destroyed by fire in 1898, but was rebuilt the following year. Between 1860 and 1941, the Bodie Mining Disctrict produced close to $100 million in gold and silver. During those years, gold prices ranged from $20 to $35 an ounce. The mill was last operated in 1938. Looking through one of the houses. The shot was exposed for the view through the open window, and flash was used to lighten the inside. The school house was built in 1879. Welcome to Swazey Hotel! At various times it also housed a clothing store and a casino. A large mining wagon and the Boone Store and Warehouse in the background to the right. The upper floor of the wood building to the left was used by the Bodie Odd Fellows Lodge, No. 279. The first floor was used by H. Ward, who built the building in 1880. The first floor was at some point also used by Bodie Athletic Club. The brick building to the right is the Post Office, which moved here in 1879 from Silas Smith's store on northeast Main Street, where it had been located since 1877. It also served as Grandma Johnson's rooming house and later as the Dechambeau Hotel. Dinner anyone? How about a nice nap?