Our Road Trip: Part 1 BODIE

This map is an overview of the path taken during our four day adventure of discovery. I apologize, in advance, for the length of the blogposts trying to capture the meandering magic. Pour a beverage of your choice and travel along with us.

We've been on a mining kick as of late. How perfect to begin this explore at our favorite mining Ghost Town... Bodie.

Bodie—a town so lawless that in 1881 it was described as

“ . . . a sea of sin, lashed by the tempests

of lust and passion.”

Quote by Reverend F. M. Warrington

The town rose to prominence when mining along the western slope of the Sierras declined, and prospectors moved to the eastern side to search for gold. Sure enough, in 1859, W.S. Bodey and his buddy E. S. “Black” Taylor stumbled upon gold in the hills north of Mono Lake, amounting to millions of dollars in gold and silver. Unfortunately, Bodey froze to death in a blizzard while returning with supplies and never got to enjoy his new-found wealth. The town, with a slight spelling change, is named for him.

Things slowed down for a bit in the 1860s, but then in the mid-1870s a rich strike was made by the Standard Mining Company in the Bodie Hills. Word spread, sparking a rush of people. By 1879 the town had a population of about 10,000 people and more than 2,000 buildings, primarily general stores, dance halls, and saloons to keep the miners supplied and entertained. Bodie soon developed a reputation for wildness and lawlessness.

However, by 1881, the mines were depleted and miners and business people left Bodie to follow the next strike. By 1886, the town’s population had fallen to 1,500 people. In the 1890s, the use of electricity as a source of cheap power made mining here profitable again and temporarily boosted it. However, a fire in 1932 destroyed 90% of the town.

Preservation, not restoration: When California State Parks took over in 1962, they began a plan to preserve the existing structures without restoring or "fixing them up". The policy of arrested decay was adopted meaning that repairs are only made to keep the buildings from falling down completely, and they are done using original-style materials. The buildings are not cleaned or altered, and dust, debris, and items are left in place to show the town's history.

The most unique aspect, for me, of Bodie is that it appears residents disappeared suddenly, leaving behind everything. The furnished interiors allow visitors to look into the past and imagine what life was like for the residents, with homes, stores, and schools left in the state they were abandoned. I was once told that the path in and out of Bodie was a toll road. The fees collected were based on the type of vehicle and its weight. When the mines dried up, so did the funds to get one's possessions out of town, hence so many treasures being left behind.

In the homes we saw tables and chairs, vanities, sewing machines, beds, rotten mattresses, wallpaper peeling off, canteens, and bottles and hats sitting about. One building was a pool hall, and the pool table still lay next to a furnace and a bar. One of the general stores was well stocked with just about everything you could imagine a general store to have back then, but everything was just about everywhere, in such a state of disarray and decay, that just that disorder and abandonment gave it a haunting sort of feel.

Cupping one's hands, to peer into the past, is the main activity of the day.

Such history! On a daily basis miners would emerge from the mills and head for the bars and the red light district to spend their earnings. The mixture of money, gold and alcohol would sometimes prove fatal. Newspapers reported that townspeople would ask in the mornings “Have we a man for breakfast?” Meaning ‘Did anyone get killed last night?'