The Wild West: Bodie CA, ghost town

Bodie CA is a genuine ghost town and now a state historic site. It was a highlight of my trip to CA and I only discovered it too late one afternoon only a couple hours before closing. I could have used the better part of a day there. It felt like visiting an abandoned ship in that time seemed frozen. One got the feeling that a siren went off one day and everyone simply vanished. The road there is 15 miles off the main road through deserted canyons. The final three miles are a dirt road which is not for the faint of heart. I would not want to break down there. In the mid 1870's, a rich strike of gold and silver started a rush of people. In 1877 Bodie became a boomtown of 8,500 people, and more than 2000 buildings with 60 saloons. By 1879 the population was 10,000. Thirty mines were in operation. Gunfights, killings, robberies, stage holdups were almost daily events. There was also a China Town. By 1881 the mines were depleted and the town was in decline. By 1886 the populaton had decreased to 1,500. In 1932 fire destroyed 90% of the town. In the 1940's, the last residents left. It got down to where there was literally one guy remaining there. Over time, Everone simply went away and the state of California preserved the place as it existed when the last residents left in a "state of arrested decay." The state runs it very nicely. There is a museum and very nice park rangers. http://www.parks.ca.gov Mailing Address: Bodie State Historic Park, PO Box 515, Bridgeport CA 93517 (760) 647 6445