Yesterday we went to see
Bodie Ghost Town. Bodie was in it's heyday around 1879 - 1881. It had a population of 8,500 people and 2,000 buildings. But after the mines closed and several fires, all that remained by the 1940's was 10% of the buildings. Bodie was a real Wild West town with its badmen, prostitution, and a wicked winter climate (ele @ 8,300'). One little girl who was moving there with her family was quoted as saying:
"Goodbye God. I'm going to Bodie."
It was still one of the largest ghost towns we have seen yet. Many of the buildings are being preserved in the state in which they were found. They are not rebuilding the buildings but just trying to freeze them in time. So windows have been replaced to prevent further damage. Braces are being used to keep some of the buildings from just tilting over. But we were impressed with the condition of the town.
Some buildings were brick, some wood, warehouses were made from stone, and the mining complex looked like tin. Some residents would cut away parts of 5-gallon steel barrels if they needed to make siding or roof repairs. They apparently used whatever was available.
But, I think, the fun part was peeking in the windows for a trip back in time. Many of the buildings still contained items. Residences had furniture, clothing, and other household items. The blacksmith shop still had blowers, anvils, and tools. The firestation had the water carts. The grocery store had cans and boxes still lining the shelves. Here in the grocery store, I was reading the names on some of the items: Hills Bros coffee, Bayer aspirin, Lea & Perrins, etc. Very familiar names.
We really enjoyed our visit. One of the things we try desperately not to do is compare one place to another. But when you visit so many places, you can't help it. We compared this visit to our visit to
St. Elmo in Colorado. St Elmo did not have the number of tourists that Bodie had - adding to the ghostly surrounding, and when we visited St Elmo it snowed on us. Now, I'm sure if we visited Bodie in November it would probably snow on us, too, but Bodie might still be more crowded throughout the year because of its accessibility. It wasn't that crowded, just hard to get a photo without a stranger in it. We had the same problem in Yosemite, so you just either get creative or accept it. No big deal.
Some buildings were brick, some wood, warehouses were made from stone, and the mining complex looked like tin. Some residents would cut away parts of 5-gallon steel barrels if they needed to make siding or roof repairs. They apparently used whatever was available.
But, I think, the fun part was peeking in the windows for a trip back in time. Many of the buildings still contained items. Residences had furniture, clothing, and other household items. The blacksmith shop still had blowers, anvils, and tools. The firestation had the water carts. The grocery store had cans and boxes still lining the shelves. Here in the grocery store, I was reading the names on some of the items: Hills Bros coffee, Bayer aspirin, Lea & Perrins, etc. Very familiar names.
We really enjoyed our visit. One of the things we try desperately not to do is compare one place to another. But when you visit so many places, you can't help it. We compared this visit to our visit to St. Elmo in Colorado. St Elmo did not have the number of tourists that Bodie had - adding to the ghostly surrounding, and when we visited St Elmo it snowed on us. Now, I'm sure if we visited Bodie in November it would probably snow on us, too, but Bodie might still be more crowded throughout the year because of its accessibility. It wasn't that crowded, just hard to get a photo without a stranger in it. We had the same problem in Yosemite, so you just either get creative or accept it. No big deal.
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