What Still Remains.
The Swazey Hotel and the old Saloon.
Bodie, California is a town frozen in time, and preserved by California State Parks in a state of “arrested decay.” Bodie became a State Historic Park in 1962, and maintains the buildings just as they were found when the State took over the town – but they do not restore the buildings, instead choosing to simply preserve the buildings in their aged and weathered 1880s appearance.
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 the purchase of the mine by the Standard Company in 1877. From 1877 to 1888, the community swelled to more than 10,000 residents and produced over $35 million in gold and silver.
What Still Remains.
The Swazey Hotel and the old Saloon.
Bodie, California is a town frozen in time, and preserved by California State Parks in a state of “arrested decay.” Bodie became a State Historic Park in 1962, and maintains the buildings just as they were found when the State took over the town – but they do not restore the buildings, instead choosing to simply preserve the buildings in their aged and weathered 1880s appearance.
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 the purchase of the mine by the Standard Company in 1877. From 1877 to 1888, the community swelled to more than 10,000 residents and produced over $35 million in gold and silver.