Bodie, CA Bodie is located in the eastern slopes of the Sierra, close to the Nevada border. It can be righteously hot by midsummer and buried in snow in wintertime. In 1880 the town had nearly 8000 residents. See also Travel California's page about Bodie and other Ghost Towns bodie98du0237 (Copyright © 2003 by Daniel Ter-Nedden) Buy pictures William S. Body found gold here in 1859. The mining camp grew slowly from 1860 to the mid-1870s, while its neighbor Aurora, Nevada, was booming. bodie98du0390 (Copyright © 2003 by Daniel Ter-Nedden) Buy pictures The discovery of several rich gold veins in 1876 started a rush to Bodie. At one point, there were 65 saloons at Bodie, a red light district and a chinatown. bodie98du0262 (Copyright © 2003 by Daniel Ter-Nedden) Buy pictures Two years later, most of the mines were worked out. At the onset of World War II, the school and the post office were closed, and the last residents left town. bodie98du0265 (Copyright © 2003 by Daniel Ter-Nedden) Buy pictures Bodie bordered on the lawless. On September 5, 1880, the daily Bodie Standard reported three shootings and two holdups of stages. bodie2003-18 (Copyright © 2003 by Carola Schibli) Buy pictures Today, more than 150 well-preserved buildings remain. Bodie is a California State Park and is maintained in a state of "arrested decay". bodie6 (Copyright © 2003 by Carola Schibli) Buy pictures bodie98du0351 (Copyright © 2003 by Daniel Ter-Nedden) Buy pictures bodie98du0260 (Copyright © 2003 by Daniel Ter-Nedden) Buy pictures Town Jail bodiea4 (Copyright © by Alex D. Jakobsen and Dorthe Kjaerbye) Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3 - Page 4 - Page 5 - Page 6 - Page 7 - Page 8 Ghost Town Map - Back to the Ghost Town index