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Spread across the landscape of a high, remote valley of the Bodie Hills, the historic gold mining town of Bodie - one of the richest gold strikes in California - was once known as the most lawless, wildest and toughest mining camp in the West. To walk the streets of this ghost town and peer into the windows of the remaining homes, businesses and sites is to be transported back to the days when Bodie was a thriving mining town.
Bodie State Historic Park is a genuine California gold-mining ghost town. Visitors can walk down the deserted streets of a town that once had a population of nearly 10,000 people. The town is named for Waterman S. Body (William Bodey), who had discovered small amounts of gold in hills north of Mono Lake. In 1875, a mine cave-in revealed pay dirt, which led to purchase of the mine by the Standard Company in 1877. People flocked to Bodie and transformed it from a town of a few dozen to a boomtown.
Only a small part of the town survives. Interiors remain as they were left and stocked with goods. Designated as a National Historic Site and a State Historic Park in 1962, the remains of Bodie are being preserved in a state of "arrested decay". Today this once thriving mining camp is visited by tourists, howling winds and an occasional ghost.
Getting There & Fees
The park is northeast of Yosemite, 13 miles east of Highway 395 on Bodie Road (Hwy 270), seven miles south of Bridgeport.
From U.S. 395 seven miles south of Bridgeport, take State Route 270. Go east 10 miles to the end of the pavement and continue 3 miles on a dirt road to Bodie. The last 3 miles can at times be rough. Reduced speeds are necessary. Call the park if there are any questions about road conditions.
Latitude/Longitude: 38.2122 / -119.0111
Fees
$7 for adults 17 and up
$5 for children ages 6 to 16
Ages 5 and under free
Only cash or personal/travelers checks are accepted at park entrance station
The park is northeast of Yosemite, 13 miles east of Highway 395 on Bodie Road (Hwy 270), seven miles south of Bridgeport.
From U.S. 395 seven miles south of Bridgeport, take State Route 270. Go east 10 miles to the end of the pavement and continue 3 miles on a dirt road to Bodie. The last 3 miles can at times be rough. Reduced speeds are necessary. Call the park if there are any questions about road conditions.
Latitude/Longitude: 38.2122 / -119.0111
Fees
$7 for adults 17 and up
$5 for children ages 6 to 16
Ages 5 and under free
Only cash or personal/travelers checks are accepted at park entrance station
Seasons/Climate/Recommended Clothing
At an elevation of 8,375 feet, Bodie is subjected to high winds. Summer can be warm with highs in the 80s. In spring, mud can be a problem. Winter is unpredictable, with daytime temperatures reaching into the 60s and by sundown dropping below zero. Strong winds and white-out conditions are common. Snowfall can average between three to six feet on the flat ground, with drifts up to 20 feet high.
Bodie is open year-round (see below for specific hours) however, because of the high elevation (8,375 feet) it is accessible only by skis, snowshoes or snowmobiles during winter months. Snowmobiles must stay on designated roads in the Bodie Hills. Many four wheel drive vehicles with chains get stuck each year in powdery snow. Local towing services, when available, can be costly.
At an elevation of 8,375 feet, Bodie is subjected to high winds. Summer can be warm with highs in the 80s. In spring, mud can be a problem. Winter is unpredictable, with daytime temperatures reaching into the 60s and by sundown dropping below zero. Strong winds and white-out conditions are common. Snowfall can average between three to six feet on the flat ground, with drifts up to 20 feet high.
Bodie is open year-round (see below for specific hours) however, because of the high elevation (8,375 feet) it is accessible only by skis, snowshoes or snowmobiles during winter months. Snowmobiles must stay on designated roads in the Bodie Hills. Many four wheel drive vehicles with chains get stuck each year in powdery snow. Local towing services, when available, can be costly.
Operating Hours & Contact
Open year around.
9 am to 6 pm in summer (May 15th - October 31st)
9 am to 3 pm in winter (Nov 1st - May 14th)
The park is closed during periods of inclement weather.
CLOSURE HOURS ARE STRICTLY ENFORCED FOR THE PROTECTION OF STRUCTURES AND ARTIFACTS.
Telephone: 760-647-6445
Open year around.
9 am to 6 pm in summer (May 15th - October 31st)
9 am to 3 pm in winter (Nov 1st - May 14th)
The park is closed during periods of inclement weather.
CLOSURE HOURS ARE STRICTLY ENFORCED FOR THE PROTECTION OF STRUCTURES AND ARTIFACTS.
Telephone: 760-647-6445
Tips & Rules
Bodie is a ghost town. Today it looks much the same as it did over 50 years ago when the last residents left. To preserve the ghost town atmosphere, there are no commercial facilities at Bodie, such as food or gasoline. There is a bookstore inside the museum where you may also inquire about daily tours.
Everything in Bodie is fully protected. Nothing may be collected or removed from the park. No metal detectors are allowed.
Dogs are permitted in the park, but must be on a leash at all times.
There is no camping at Bodie. Contact U.S. Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management offices for nearby camping information. Inyo and Toiyabe National Forests provide camping at several nearby locations.
For safety reasons certain unstable areas of the park are closed to visitors. These areas are posted as prohibited.
Winter visits require snow transportation. Four-wheel drive vehicles often get stuck in snow that is deeper than it appears. Towing facilities are not available.
Snowmobiles must stay on designated roads within the park and on surrounding public lands as posted.
Restrooms are located at the parking lot and picnic area.
The second Saturday in August is "Friends of Bodie Day". Call 760-647-6564 for information.
Bodie is a ghost town. Today it looks much the same as it did over 50 years ago when the last residents left. To preserve the ghost town atmosphere, there are no commercial facilities at Bodie, such as food or gasoline. There is a bookstore inside the museum where you may also inquire about daily tours.
Everything in Bodie is fully protected. Nothing may be collected or removed from the park. No metal detectors are allowed.
Dogs are permitted in the park, but must be on a leash at all times.
There is no camping at Bodie. Contact U.S. Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management offices for nearby camping information. Inyo and Toiyabe National Forests provide camping at several nearby locations.
For safety reasons certain unstable areas of the park are closed to visitors. These areas are posted as prohibited.
Winter visits require snow transportation. Four-wheel drive vehicles often get stuck in snow that is deeper than it appears. Towing facilities are not available.
Snowmobiles must stay on designated roads within the park and on surrounding public lands as posted.
Restrooms are located at the parking lot and picnic area.
The second Saturday in August is "Friends of Bodie Day". Call 760-647-6564 for information.
History
Native People
The Eastern Sierra Nevada region of Mono County was home to the Northern Paiute and Mono Lake Paiute Indian groups. These two groups lived in loose family units. Primarily hunter-gatherers, the Northern Paiutes subsisted by gathering native plants, hunting small game, and fishing in local streams. They migrated seasonally, following food sources. Although the Mono Lake Paiutes hunted small animals and gathered native plants and seeds, their diet was more dependent on Mono Lake, where they gathered alkali fly larvae and brine shrimp. Basket weaving was a common form of art among the Paiutetribes. The baskets, tightly woven with creative and artistic designs, were used for food gathering, storage and cooking. The flood of miners drawn by the Bodie gold discovery pushed the Native Americans out of their traditional territory. By the early twentieth century, only five percent of the original area remained under the control of the local tribes. Food supplies dwindled as settlers clear-cut the forests for lumber and firewood, killed or displaced local wildlife, and destroyed meadow grasses by grazing livestock. As their traditional way of life was impacted, some native people adapted by working in the local towns. Paiute Indians worked at a limekiln in the Mono Lake Basin, loading the sacked lime onto flatcars for delivery to Bodie, where it was used in milling and cyanide processing of gold and silver ores. They were also employed in service jobs and as ranch hands.
The Standard Mining Company
As placer mining declined on the western slopes of the Sierra, gold discoveries in the high desert of the Eastern Sierras captured the attention of thousands of gold seekers. In 1859 W. S. Bodey and E. S. “Black” Taylor stumbled upon one of the richest gold strikes. The ore extracted from the Bodie Hills amounted to millions in gold and silver. Unfortunately, Bodey was not able to enjoy his discovery—he froze to death in a blizzard while returning with supplies in November 1859.
Mining in Bodie was slow in the 1860s and 1870s due to rich strikes in Aurora, Nevada and at the Comstock Mine in Virginia City. From 1863 to 1877, only a small handful of industrious miners and prospectors worked the Bodie mines. In the mid-1870s, the Bunker Hill Mine (later renamed the Standard Mining Company) made a rich strike of gold and silver ore. Almost 10,000 tons of rich ore was extracted from this mine, yielding close to $15 million in 25 years.
The Bodie Reputation
Stories of the quality and amount of gold being mined by the Standard Mining Company sparked a rush of people, and Bodie became a boomtown in 1877. By 1879 Bodie had a population of approximately 8,500 people and more than 2,000 buildings. General stores and saloons supplied the needs of the miners. More than 60 saloons and dance halls lined the streets, providing a source of relaxation and entertainment for the miners after a hard day’s work in the depths of the mines. Gunfights, stage holdups, robberies and street fights contributed to its reputation of lawlessness and the legend of the “Bad Man of Bodie.” Historians believe that the “Bad Man of Bodie” is a composite of outlaws and men like Tom Adams and Washoe Pete who contributed to the wild atmosphere of Bodie.
Chinese Settlers
Other businesses and individuals also profited from the boom. As lodging for the miners and stamp mills to process the ore were built, a need arose for a steady supply of wood to power the mills and to warm the houses, especially during severe winters. Bodie’s Chinese residents, many of whom had come from Southern China as contract laborers in 1878, used mule trains to transport wood 20 miles from the sawmills along the eastern slope of the Sierra to Bodie.
By 1881 the Bodie and Benton Railroad was transporting the heavy loads of lumber from Mono Mills more efficiently. With a population of several hundred people, the Chinese created a town within a town in order to maintain their own customs and traditions and because they were not welcome members of white society. Located along King Street, Chinatown offered general stores, laundries, boarding houses, gambling halls, saloons and a Taoist temple. The Chinese also earned income by selling vegetables, making charcoal, and working on the Bodie railway.
Bodie’s Decline
Bodie’s heyday was short lived. The year 1881 saw the town in the grips of decline. The rich mines were depleted, and mining companies went bankrupt as the miners and business people left for more lucrative areas. By 1886 Bodie’s population had decreased to approximately 1,500 people. Six years later a disastrous fire threatened the town, destroying a number of homes and businesses. The introduction of the cyanide process in the 1890s, and the use of electricity as a source of cheap power, made mining profitable again and boosted the town. But success was transitory— another fire in 1932 destroyed all but 10 percent of the town.
Today’s Ghost Town
Bodie faded into a ghost town during the 1940s. In 1962 the small part of the town that had survived the 1932 fire was designated a State Historic Park and a National Historic Landmark. What remains of the town of Bodie, preserved in a state of “arrested decay,” exists as it did when the last residents left. The interiors are maintained as they were left, still furnished and stocked with goods, providing a snapshot of the past.
In 1988 a Canadian mining company’s proposal for a large-scale open pit gold mining operation on the bluff above the townsite threatened this landmark. These actions had the potential to compromise Bodie’s historic ambiance, fragile buildings and wildlife habitat. Preservation groups, concerned citizens groups and government agencies successfully lobbied for the passage of the Bodie Protection Act of 1994. This legislation withdrew the right of new patent or mineral claims on public lands of the Bodie District, and paved the way for California State Parks to purchase the mining claims of the now bankrupt Canadian mining company, preserving this unique California treasure.
Native People
The Eastern Sierra Nevada region of Mono County was home to the Northern Paiute and Mono Lake Paiute Indian groups. These two groups lived in loose family units. Primarily hunter-gatherers, the Northern Paiutes subsisted by gathering native plants, hunting small game, and fishing in local streams. They migrated seasonally, following food sources. Although the Mono Lake Paiutes hunted small animals and gathered native plants and seeds, their diet was more dependent on Mono Lake, where they gathered alkali fly larvae and brine shrimp. Basket weaving was a common form of art among the Paiutetribes. The baskets, tightly woven with creative and artistic designs, were used for food gathering, storage and cooking. The flood of miners drawn by the Bodie gold discovery pushed the Native Americans out of their traditional territory. By the early twentieth century, only five percent of the original area remained under the control of the local tribes. Food supplies dwindled as settlers clear-cut the forests for lumber and firewood, killed or displaced local wildlife, and destroyed meadow grasses by grazing livestock. As their traditional way of life was impacted, some native people adapted by working in the local towns. Paiute Indians worked at a limekiln in the Mono Lake Basin, loading the sacked lime onto flatcars for delivery to Bodie, where it was used in milling and cyanide processing of gold and silver ores. They were also employed in service jobs and as ranch hands.
The Standard Mining Company
As placer mining declined on the western slopes of the Sierra, gold discoveries in the high desert of the Eastern Sierras captured the attention of thousands of gold seekers. In 1859 W. S. Bodey and E. S. “Black” Taylor stumbled upon one of the richest gold strikes. The ore extracted from the Bodie Hills amounted to millions in gold and silver. Unfortunately, Bodey was not able to enjoy his discovery—he froze to death in a blizzard while returning with supplies in November 1859.
Mining in Bodie was slow in the 1860s and 1870s due to rich strikes in Aurora, Nevada and at the Comstock Mine in Virginia City. From 1863 to 1877, only a small handful of industrious miners and prospectors worked the Bodie mines. In the mid-1870s, the Bunker Hill Mine (later renamed the Standard Mining Company) made a rich strike of gold and silver ore. Almost 10,000 tons of rich ore was extracted from this mine, yielding close to $15 million in 25 years.
The Bodie Reputation
Stories of the quality and amount of gold being mined by the Standard Mining Company sparked a rush of people, and Bodie became a boomtown in 1877. By 1879 Bodie had a population of approximately 8,500 people and more than 2,000 buildings. General stores and saloons supplied the needs of the miners. More than 60 saloons and dance halls lined the streets, providing a source of relaxation and entertainment for the miners after a hard day’s work in the depths of the mines. Gunfights, stage holdups, robberies and street fights contributed to its reputation of lawlessness and the legend of the “Bad Man of Bodie.” Historians believe that the “Bad Man of Bodie” is a composite of outlaws and men like Tom Adams and Washoe Pete who contributed to the wild atmosphere of Bodie.
Chinese Settlers
Other businesses and individuals also profited from the boom. As lodging for the miners and stamp mills to process the ore were built, a need arose for a steady supply of wood to power the mills and to warm the houses, especially during severe winters. Bodie’s Chinese residents, many of whom had come from Southern China as contract laborers in 1878, used mule trains to transport wood 20 miles from the sawmills along the eastern slope of the Sierra to Bodie.
By 1881 the Bodie and Benton Railroad was transporting the heavy loads of lumber from Mono Mills more efficiently. With a population of several hundred people, the Chinese created a town within a town in order to maintain their own customs and traditions and because they were not welcome members of white society. Located along King Street, Chinatown offered general stores, laundries, boarding houses, gambling halls, saloons and a Taoist temple. The Chinese also earned income by selling vegetables, making charcoal, and working on the Bodie railway.
Bodie’s Decline
Bodie’s heyday was short lived. The year 1881 saw the town in the grips of decline. The rich mines were depleted, and mining companies went bankrupt as the miners and business people left for more lucrative areas. By 1886 Bodie’s population had decreased to approximately 1,500 people. Six years later a disastrous fire threatened the town, destroying a number of homes and businesses. The introduction of the cyanide process in the 1890s, and the use of electricity as a source of cheap power, made mining profitable again and boosted the town. But success was transitory— another fire in 1932 destroyed all but 10 percent of the town.
Today’s Ghost Town
Bodie faded into a ghost town during the 1940s. In 1962 the small part of the town that had survived the 1932 fire was designated a State Historic Park and a National Historic Landmark. What remains of the town of Bodie, preserved in a state of “arrested decay,” exists as it did when the last residents left. The interiors are maintained as they were left, still furnished and stocked with goods, providing a snapshot of the past.
In 1988 a Canadian mining company’s proposal for a large-scale open pit gold mining operation on the bluff above the townsite threatened this landmark. These actions had the potential to compromise Bodie’s historic ambiance, fragile buildings and wildlife habitat. Preservation groups, concerned citizens groups and government agencies successfully lobbied for the passage of the Bodie Protection Act of 1994. This legislation withdrew the right of new patent or mineral claims on public lands of the Bodie District, and paved the way for California State Parks to purchase the mining claims of the now bankrupt Canadian mining company, preserving this unique California treasure.
Accessible Features
Bodie State Historic Park is generally accessible, but the protected historic structures, uneven surfaces and high altitude desert terrain may be a challenge for individuals with limited mobility or difficulty breathing.
•Two accessible picnic sites, with a nearby accessible flush toilet, are available.
•The Cemetery trail is a gravel/soil surfaced trail which is approximately ¼ mile. The trail starts at the historic site main parking area and ends at the park cemetery. Accessible restrooms are provided at the main parking area.
•The fully protected facilities and high desert conditions here may challenge persons who have limited mobility. Visitors with limited mobility who notify staff upon arrival may be able to arrange drop-offs close to the visitor center. Many structures are on boardwalks that require climbing stairs from streets to get to window views. Original uneven boardwalks and unimproved terrain are the norm. Parking includes a van accessible space. There is an accessible flush toilet at the parking lot available.
Bodie State Historic Park is generally accessible, but the protected historic structures, uneven surfaces and high altitude desert terrain may be a challenge for individuals with limited mobility or difficulty breathing.
•Two accessible picnic sites, with a nearby accessible flush toilet, are available.
•The Cemetery trail is a gravel/soil surfaced trail which is approximately ¼ mile. The trail starts at the historic site main parking area and ends at the park cemetery. Accessible restrooms are provided at the main parking area.
•The fully protected facilities and high desert conditions here may challenge persons who have limited mobility. Visitors with limited mobility who notify staff upon arrival may be able to arrange drop-offs close to the visitor center. Many structures are on boardwalks that require climbing stairs from streets to get to window views. Original uneven boardwalks and unimproved terrain are the norm. Parking includes a van accessible space. There is an accessible flush toilet at the parking lot available.
Community Trips
bodie hat heute noch 200 stehende häuser aus der goldgräber zeit. früher lebten dort ca10000 einwohner. es war und ist heute noch ein hartes klima. im winter kann es bis minus 40grad kalt werden und bis zu 6m schnee haben. winde bis 180 km/h machten das leben auf ca 2000müm zusätzlich hart.
