What better time to talk about our visit to a ghost town then October? If you enjoy history, love taking photographs, and want to see what an abandoned town looks like from the late 1800s, then this is a must for you.
The gold-mining ghost town of Bodie lies east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Mono County, California. It is 13 miles east of Highway 395 and seven miles south of the town of Bridgeport. To reach the town, you will off-road in the dirt roughly three miles. Once you get there, you will pay for admission, which is $8 per person. The cost is due to the town becoming a state park in the 1960s. Since Bodie is considered a historic site, it is being left in its original state of “arrested decay.” This means nothing is new and everything you see is original. I would recommend checking out this spot sooner than later because it is slowly withering away. With only about 100 structures left, this amazing piece of history may not be around for many years to come, however we hope it is!
Please note – it is best to come here in the summer months. In the winter, snowfall only allows for access by skis, snowshoes, or snowmobiles. The California Department of Parks and Recreation states, “Winter weather is unpredictable. Sub-zero temperatures, strong winds, and white-out conditions are common.”
W.S. Bodey discovered this promising location in 1859, but tragically died in a blizzard also in 1859, in an attempt to return back to the uncivilized town. By the 1870s, the booming mining town had close to 10,000 people and was full of ore, worth millions of dollars. In its prime, there were over 2,000 buildings, many of which were general stores, saloons, and dance halls. Fun Fact – During its populated existence, Bodie had more saloons than any other city in the entire country! 🍺🍸🍷🥃🍺🍸🍷🥃 Although Bodie’s reputation is for gold and silver mining, Bodie is also known for gunfights, robberies, and murder. This town was a modern-day TV drama! 😂🤣😂🤣
You can buy a $3 self-guided tour booklet and walk the grounds. The booklet will show you places to see and provide you with a greater history of the town and its remaining structures.
Troy and I were lucky enough to explore Bodie last summer with our family, and we enjoyed every minute of it. Wear sneakers, a hat, and lots of sunscreen, as it gets warm in the Summer. Also bring snacks and liquids because there is no restaurant or snack shop. Lastly, know that you will not have cell phone service. It is a ghost town in the middle of nowhere from the 1800s…there is no Wi-Fi people! Disconnect, enjoy history, and be one with the great outdoors.
Some of the things that stand out in our mind from our visit are:
~ Bodie Cemetery – It is always a bit of a strange feeling being in a cemetery, but the fact that this dates back to the 1800s is just wild. There are several headstones, many of which are still visible, even after a century. The cemetery is said to be haunted, but we did not witness any paranormal activity while here. What we found to be most unsettling was how short lived so many of these lives were due to the crazy days of the wild west. The souls that eternally rest here, mostly died from illnesses, accidents, weather, and crime. These lives are gone, but certainly not forgotten thanks to Bodie’s preservation.
William Bodey’s Headstone…barely legible, but it’s his! 
~ The Morgue – Now this is CREEPY. This is where many of the bodies went to be embalmed prior to burial. You can peer in the windows and see caskets. It was fascinating to see but sent chills down our spines!
~ Bodie Bank – Not much remains of the bank due to a catastrophic fire, but the brick portion of the building, the metal door, and vault remain. The vault is something to see…it is painted with a design and the manufacturing company. It resembles an art piece more than a contemporary safe.
~ The Church – There were multiple churches in Bodie, but the only remaining church is the Methodist church that you can find upon your entry to the ghost town. It remains almost fully intact.
~Boone Store & Warehouse – Aside from the immense amount of dust and the outdated labels, you might think this business was just locked up and closed for the night. You can see many household items still on the shelves and if you pay extra close attention, you will spot a light bulb that remains lit from 142 years ago! Scan the shelves to see if you recognize any names that are still found on market aisles today. Folgers Coffee, Del Monte Produce, Trojan Condoms, and St. Joseph’s Aspirin were just a few that we spotted!
See the everlasting light bulb in this pic!
~ The Bodie Jail – This jail could not look any less inferior to today’s jails. The Bodie jail sits on the outskirts of town and has but two cells. Unbelievably, they say that only one person escaped from confinement. That person was Joseph DeRoche, and soon after his escape, he was captured and hung by the 601-vigilante group. I guess that is what you get for touching another man’s wife and killing her husband! It seems the 1800s and the 2000s have a lot in common when it comes to affairs, retaliation, and murder…some things never change.
Follow the map and you will see much more including a gym, saloon, gambling hall, post office, barbershop, hotel, and firehouse. Be sure to leave no trace and steal nothing…not even a rock…or else you may experience the consequences of the Bodie Curse. Superstitious or not, we didn’t want to gamble with bad luck, poor health, or mysterious accidents.
The gym. 
The post office. 
One of the many saloons. 
The Dinner/Gaming Hall. 
Hotel room. First of four pics. 
The barbershop. 
Looks like Shell Gas has just about always existed, although the gas prices were probably way cheaper! 
The tailor shop. 
A flashlight. 
The Gambling Hall.
The Firehouse. 
Although we spent a half of a day here, we easily could have stayed longer. If you have plenty of time, you should make the most of it and schedule a mining tour. We would like to get back here someday to experience that, but we were very satisfied with our visit.
Currently smudging sage around our apartment,
TnT
…Just kidding!