Location: 50 miles south of Lake Tahoe, in California, near Bridgeport
and hwy 395 near the Nevada border. Tel.: (Bodie State Historic
Park) 619-647-6445.
History: Bodie was named after Waterman S. Body (also known
as William S. Bodey) who discovered gold here in 1859. The change
in spelling of the town's name has often been attributed to an
illiterate sign painter, but was a deliberate change by the citizenry
to insure proper pronunciation.
The town of Bodie rose to prominence with the decline of mining
along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. Prospectors crossing
the eastern slope in 1859 to "see the Elephant" - that
is, to search for gold - discovered what was to be the Comstock
Lode at Virginia City, and started a wild rush to the surrounding
high desert country.
Bodie became a boom town in 1877 and by 1879 Bodie boasted a population
of about 10,000 with 2,000 buildings, and was second to none for
wickedness, badmen, and "the worst climate out of doors".One
little girl, whose family was taking her to the remote and infamous
town, wrote in her diary: "Good-bye God, I'm going to Bodie".
The phrase came to be known throughout the west.
Killings occurred with monotonous regularity, sometimes becoming
almost daily events. The fire bell, which tolled the ages of the
deceased when they were buried, rang often and long. Robberies,
stage holdups, and street fights provided variety, and the town's
65 saloons offered many opportunities for relaxation after hard
days of work in the mines. The Reverend F.M. Warrington saw it
in 1881 as "a sea of sin, lashed by the tempest of lust and
passion."
The town became more known for its wild living than for its big
gold resources. Every other building on the mile long main street
was a saloon. Seven breweries were working day and night. The
whiskey was brought in by horse carriages, 100 barrels at a time.
The boom was over in four short years and by 1882, Bodie was
in the grips of decline. The rich mines were playing out and
mining companies were going bankrupt. Two fires, one in 1892 and
the other in 1932, ravaged the business district. Bodie faded
into a ghost town during the 1940's. It became a State Historic
Park in 1962, managed in a state of arrested decay. Today, with
less than 10% of the town still standing, it is still the largest
ghost town in the western United States, and what is left looks
much the same as it did over 50 years ago when the last residents
left.
Nearly everyone has heard about the infamous "Badman from
Bodie." Some historians say that he was a real person by
the name of Tom Adams. Others say his name was Washoe Pete. It
seems more likely, however, that he was a composite. Bad men ,
like bad whiskey and bad climate, were endemic to the area. Whatever
the case, the streets are quiet now. Bodie still has its wicked
climate, but with the possible exception of an occasional ghostly
visitor, its badmen are all in their graves.
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