Ghost Town: Bodie Historic State Park

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February 25th, 2011 Permalink

Bodie State Historic Park is a California gold-mining ghost town with over 170 buildings which are protected in a “state of arrested decay.” That means officials won’t fix up the abandoned buildings, but they won’t let Bodie fall to dust either. Bodie was too wicked to ever truly die. More than 1,000 remote acres make up the once violent, lawless and booming gold mine town in the Wild West. Nearly 200,000 yearly visitors come to roam the ghost town of Bodie. We love these pics! [13 Photos]

stormy day at the Bodie Historic State Park

A stormy day at the Bodie Historic State Park which was once a violent and lawless booming California gold mining town in the Wild West. Several phrases were born to describe the essence of Bodie and its inhabitants who flocked there to find the motherlode: “Badman from Bodie” fit the infamous and remote town. It’s said that a little girl found out her family was moving to Bodie and wrote in her diary, “Goodbye God, I’m going to Bodie.” The phrase stuck and became famous. A preacher called Bodie, “A sea of sin, lashed by the tempest of lust and passion.” Photo #1 by Photographersnature.com

Ghost town of Bodie, California

Ghost town of Bodie, California is located east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The town began as a little mining camp but was later named after prospector William Body who found gold in 1859. It is thought that the man who painted the first sign couldn’t spell very well and wrote “Bodie Stables.” Photo #2 by Wolfgang Staudt



Decay scattered around the ghost town of Bodie. It rivaled Tombstone and Dodge City in violence. At one point, Bodie had a population of about 10,000 people in a town known as second to none for wickedness. The town also has a wicked climate, sweltering hot summers and buried in cold snow in the winters. Photo #3 by Wolfgang Staudt

Old West transport failure - Ghost Town of Bodie

Old West transport failure – Ghost Town of Bodie. Although Bodie was blown up with two tons of dynamite and burned down twice, Bodie was too wicked to die. What is left in the the ghost town is only 5% of Bodie’s original buildings. Photo #4 by Chris Willis

vacancy at Bodie Hotel

Vacancy at Bodie Hotel. The ghost town once had two banks, four volunteer fire companies, several daily newspapers, a brass band, a railroad, a whopping 65 wild west saloons . . . and only one jail for those who survived barroom brawls turned to shootouts. Photo #5 by Wolfgang Staudt

Big Wheel in Bodie

Big Wheel left over in the bad ghost town of Bodie, perhaps a reminder of one of the many times the stagecoach was held up. Killings happened every day in Bodie. Filling your enemy with lead or burying a bullet in their brain happened around the clock as if it were an acceptable way to settle all disputes. Photo #6 by Bill Gracey

outhouse in bodie

Outhouse in Bodie, perhaps only frequented by ghosts now. Once upon a time, it was a necessary evil for all the wicked men drinking wicked whiskey in a wicked climate. Photo #7 by Jim code poet

Bodie Saloon

One of the saloons in Bodie. Back in its heyday, the booming gold mine town boasted 65 saloons on a mile long main street, a busy red-light district, and even a Chinatown. For a long time, however, there was not a single church. Photo #8 by Albert de Bruijn

Ghost Town Church in Bodie. After the gold miners moved on to other booming towns, hoping to get rich quick, and the “gambling hells” shut down, Bodie finally built a church and became more family-friendly. Photo #9 by Jim code poet

abandoned car at ghost town Bodie

Abandoned car at Bodie ghost town. At the beginning of World War II, Bodie closed down the school and the post office, and the last residents left town. Only the remaining ghosts didn’t move on. Photo #10 by Wolfgang Staudt

Bodie Out of Gas

Bodie is officially Out of Gas. Photo #11 by Hot Flash Photography

Ghosts are still at home at Bodie State Historic Park, a ghost town left in arrested decay. Photo #12 by Wolfgang Staudt

Bodie mansion

Inside a Bodie “mansion.” It might not look like much, but it was pretty sweet in its day. Bodie is located in the eastern slopes of the Sierra, close to the Nevada border where it can be both extremely hot or cold. Home sweet home beats 100 mph winds sweeping through the valley. Photo #13 by Hot Flash Photography



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