Bodie: Once a Sea of Sin, Now A Ghost Town

Having lived in California for over a decade and a half, and having heard and read quite a bit about the Gold Rush, I’ve wanted to delve deeper into that part of the state’s history, for some time now. And then the best thing happened — I got a peek into that world through a visit to a ghost town that dates back to the Gold Rush era! The next best thing would be to give you a virtual tour of Bodie, now better known as Bodie State Historic Park.

Bodie, California

This gold-rush-era settlement lies in a quiet and seemingly far-flung area in the Eastern Sierra region of California.

Bodie was once known to have been one of the richest and “baddest” gold towns in the West. A lot of gold was mined here. The purchasing power was high, and the happenings here were wild, says the history of this gold rush town. In its heyday, Bodie was full of life with over 10,000 residents, and over 2000 structures. It was a town of miners and businessmen, robbers, families and prostitutes. There were a large number of ‘watering holes,’ and other places where people could go to indulge in intoxication of different kinds. There was unruliness and gunfights and all!

A quote I found on the brochure says:
Bodie was a town so lawless that in 1881, it was described as a ‘sea of sin, lashed by the tempests of lust and passion,’
— Rev. F.M. Warrington.

The History of the Town

Bodie’s beginning dates back to the mid-1800s when W.S Bodey discovered gold at what is now known as Bodie Bluffs. That was in 1859, to be exact. By the early 60’s it had become a mining settlement of over a dozen people. Then in the mid 70’s a mine caved, and this revealed a lot more gold.

Soon the town saw a rush, and in no time it was a boomtown. In the five or so years that followed, the town got to its peak. The bustling town had it all — general stores and saloons, churches and dance halls, mansions and hotels, and of course, there were the mining companies.

It is said that the town thrived for close to a quarter century. Over 10,000 tons of ore had been mined here, and the yield had come up to around 15 million dollars. Then the mines began to get depleted, and the mining companies began to run out of money to operate. People began to leave. And then there was a fire that tore through the town. A few years later, cyanide and electricity seemed to bring the town back to life but then there was another fire and this one almost destroyed the town. Most of its people left, most of them leaving their homes and belongings as they were.

After the turn of the century and more than a couple of decades into it, a part of the town that survived still had a few residents but it began to transition into a ghost town in the 40s. It was in 1962 that the State Park system decided to take over, and preserve the area for posterity.

Bodie State Historic Park

Now a state park, Bodie is like a museum of the gold -rush town and its history. ‘California State Parks’ is trying to preserve the town as it is — ‘in a state of arrested decay.’

Visit here and you’ll see the homes just as they were when people left them. All the furniture, clothes and other belongings are where they were when the inhabitants left. You can peep in through store windows and see shelves still stacked with age-old wares, and some items strewn on its counters and floors. Press your face into the old hotel and you will see luggage lying in the lobby and so on.

Here are some more sights from our stroll through the streets of this ghost town.

Things to know before you go

• Bodie is situated in what might seem like the middle of nowhere. There are no services in the park so make sure to carry your own food and water.
• There is a fee to enter the park
• There are restrooms in area.
• Make sure to pick up a map of the town to guide you through your walking tour
• This ghost town is a few miles off US 395, roughly between Bridgeport and Lee Vining.

Note: You’re going to have to drive over 10 miles off the US highway and into Hwy 270 E, and it’s going be a dirt road for the last few miles. As such, depending on the season the roads could be difficult to drive on. You might want to check on the current conditions when you decide to drive that way.

Book Recommendation for kids (and adults) who’d like to virtually visit the diggings or read about life in the gold rush era. – By the Great Horn’s Spoon, a novel by Sid Fleischman.

More trip ideas:
Other cool places to see in the Eastern Sierra in CA

Linking to —
My Corner of the World