Bodie California Ghost town
Photos courtesy of Mike Sinnwell September 2013
Must be over 100 buildings. Maybe that is because at one time there were around 10,000 people and at least 65 saloons in town. One of the more famous stories of Bodie concerns the “601 vigilante group”. The notation of “601” is commonly known to mean “6 feet under, 0 trials, 1 rope”.
The official name was credited to the discovery of gold in 1859 in the area by one William S Bodey. According to several sources Bodie got its name because a sign painter in Aurora made a mistake. Apparently Ben and John Hasslet had a ranch named Bodey near Aurora. They established a stable and went to Aurora to get a sign painted. They placed an order for a “Bodey Stables” sign. It came back “Bodie Stables” Some say the sign painter was Robert M. Howland. In any case the folks like Bodie better than Bodey so the name stuck.
I had actually avoided this place until this year. Something about California and my experience while I lived there back in the 70’s. I said once I left California I would not be coming back. Old friends convinced me to visit them in the wine country so I broke down and went. If it had not been for the wine tasting, and great friends, I would not have made the journey.
But you should visit because it is an interesting site with many structures, artifacts, lots of photos opportunities and plenty of history. Did I mention lots of people as well?