Bodie Ghost Town - Walk with Spirits of the Past

The Sierra Mountains are a stunning natural wonder running through central California. On the eastern side, at an elevation of 8,400ft, Bodie, the largest, unrestored ghost town in the US can be found.

View from the dirt road looking back over Bodie Ghost Town in the valley high in the eastern sierras. — Part of the ghost town of Bodie

Our Road Trip

We finally planned another road trip, travelling north along Hwy 395. Bodie Ghost Town was one of the many sites on our list to visit.

Turning off from the main road, it was a further 12.5 miles until we reached our destination. The first 9 miles are on asphalt, then it becomes a well maintained, gravel road.

There is no need for high clearance or 4×4 on the Bodie road, which meanders through grassy meadows as it snakes its way into the mountains. Hundreds of sheep were grazing, and we spotted a few shepherds cabins tucked into the undergrowth.

As we climbed higher, old mining structures appeared, dotted around the slopes. We considered pulling over to explore but decided against it. Maybe another time!

A miners cabin and what appears to be a storage shed long abandoned in the hillsides on the edge of Bodie Ghost Town — Miners cabins in the hillside

On arriving at the main entrance, we paid our fee of $8 each and continued onto the carpark.

The remains of the town are vast, but it’s only about five per cent of what Bodie once was at its peak between 1877 and 1881.

Picture of Bodie Ghost Town circa 1897 on the information board before you enter the remains of the town today — View of Bodie in 1897 – picture from information board

Where to begin at Bodie Ghost Town?

From the parking area, a cement path leads the way into town.

We purchased a guide book for $3, (recommended) which gives a fair amount of history on each of the buildings and offers a self-guided tour.

Woman walking down the cement walkway into Bodie Ghost Town where you can see some of the buildings scattered on the landscape in the background

We chose to meander around, and as most of the buildings are numbered, it was pretty straight forward to read up on them as we went.

About 110 structures still remain. A fire, started by a 3-year-old, destroyed 70% of the settlement in 1932. Although fire hydrants were scattered throughout, due to the depopulation, (by 1920 the population was only about 698) they had not been maintained, and the townsfolk were unable to save the town.

Old wagon resting back to front in an old shed on the edge of Bodie Ghost Town

In 1879/80, there would have been over 2,000 buildings. The roads would have been busy with wagons and mules as everything had to be brought into town. There was no water, wood or farms to grow produce, and it is said that for every miner there was at least one mule, plus horses which would put the numbers into the thousands. The place must have really stunk with all that manure!

Walking with the Spirits of the Past

McDonnell/Dolan House

The first building we came to was the McDonnell/Dolan House. This residence gives you a glimpse of how life would have been in the past.

The first building in Bodie Ghost Town surrounded by the desert brush and well worn wooden slats causing the structure to lean slightly

Frank McDonnell (aged 30) and his family lived here sometime in the early 1900s. He and his father, Donald, are listed as miners on the 1920 census. Frank’s mother, Mary, was once one of the postmistresses.

Sheriff James Dolan’s daughter, Alice, made this her residence for a couple of years in 1935 during which time she was a schoolteacher.

Her famed father was shot by outlaws in 1915 near Mono Lake, and a plaque commemorates his life and death on the Lake’s shore.

Inches of dust lay scattered on the remnants left inside a home in Bodie Ghost Town and the wall paper on the walls are bubbling and torn

Peering through the windows, we could see belongings left behind—items which were once precious.

The kitchen area where the wall paper on the walls ha fallen and looks more like a draped sheet behind a cabinet with canned goods and cookware still inside — Inside the McDonnell/Dolan house

There is another house in the ghost town of Bodie listed as “Dolan House east”. It is situated near the Standard Mill. I was unable to find any information about this building, either from the guide book or online, so I am not sure if it is connected to the same family.

Man in hat stands next to extravagant window for the time in the from room of a well preserved house with boards in the foreground — Dolan House east

Methodist Church

The 1882 Methodist church was the first church built and is the only house of worship left standing in Bodie Ghost Town.

Before this, the two ministers residing in the town would hold services in peoples homes and in the building of the “Independent Order of Odd Fellows”.

Outside of the Church in Bodie Ghost Town with small homes dotting the landscape in the background — 1882 Methodist Church

The church attendance was appalling. Bodie had the worst reputation for sin and murder in the wild west, the cliche being “Badman from Bodie.”

Gambling, saloons, and opium dens were abundant. Drug users were fined $500 by the sheriff, and opium den operators received a $1,000 fine, which was an extortionate amount of money in those days. (According to Google, $1,000 in 1880 is the equivalent to $25,274.22 at today’s value.)

In 1881, the Rev F M Warrington said that “This town is a sea of sin, lashed by the tempests of lust and passion”.

The inside of the church as you can see the building appears to lean so it is unsafe to enter but standing in the doorway you can see all the empty dust covered pews — The interior of the church

The 10 commandments were once inscribed on a cloth hanging above the pulpit. Now there is just an empty space after the cloth was stolen.

Boone Store and Warehouse

On the corner of Main and Green, we discovered the Boon store. One of several general stores in Bodie, this one was owned by Harvey Boone (a distant cousin of Daniel Boone) and his partner, James W Wright.

Old store front that sags on the right hand side, but is still full of items in the window front just behind the intact glass windows — Boone Store and warehouse

Inside, there are still the shop fittings, and the shelves are stocked with products.

Pressed tin ceiling and feminine bust for a dress are amongst the items left inside this once general store that looks as if it could open at any moment — Tins, jars and packets left on the shelves of Boone General Store

An old barrel lays on its side on a bench in the foreground, in the background are many other barrels and shelves lining both sides of the building

The store was built in 1879, and the gas pump was added in the 1920s

Old pickup truck with a fresh paint job is poised outside two old fashioned gas pumps with some building scattered in the background — C1920 gas pump with a 1927 Dodge Graham truck

Schools Out at Bodie Ghost Town!

The original school was burnt in 1879-80 by a young boy, so the Bon Ton Lodging House became the new educational building.

Wooden two story schoolhouse sits on the desert landscape with large blue sky overhead — Bon Ton Lodging House – later becoming the school

Even with a population of 8 – 10,000, the maximum enrolment at school was about 600.

Desks with schoolwork on the tabletops sit frozen in time with an accumulation of dust covering everything in sight — Inside the school

The school closed in 1942, and hundreds of manuals, toys and artefacts have been left. Writing is still on the chalkboard, an old wooden globe sits, knocked on its side, and books are on desks waiting for their pages to be turned once more.

An old wooden globe of the world sits on its side splintered and paint mostly worn off amongst old school paper and utensils through the old schoolhouse window

It seems so sad, looking at objects covered in dust, frozen in time and discarded facing the rest of their existence behind weathered windows.

A small organ and chair sit in the background while a skeleton sketch and shelves sit in the foreground — The music area

DeChambeau Hotel

There are structures from wooden shacks, to grand brickwork, like the DeChambeau Hotel which is located next to the “Independent Order of Odd Fellows” building.

Grand two story brick building joined to a grand two story wooden building really well preserved with a wooden walkway along the front — DeChambeau Hotel c1879 and the “Independent Order of Odd Fellows” building c1880.

Old high back wooden benches line the centre of an old room with tall circular case full of open shelves used for mail where the residence of Bodie Ghost Town could pick up their mail — The postal service inside the hotel

The post office moved into the hotel in 1879 and operated there until 1942. There was not a postal service in Bodie after that date.

Outside stair case that no longer goes to anywhere as some obstacles have covered the top at Bodie Ghost Town — Staircase between the two buildings

There’s a creepy looking staircase between the two, maybe leading to what was once Grama’s rooming house.

The Morgue

Wallpaper adorns the walls and ceilings, peeling, ravaged by time. Coffins of various shapes and sizes, some dating back to 1888, lie abandoned. The craftsmanship is apparent, each meticulously sculpted.

Coffins of varying shapes and sizes sit along the walls and floor of the old morgue collecting dust now — Empty coffins left at the morgue

You wonder how many poor souls roam these lonely floorboards. This being the last place their body was before being laid to rest beneath the earth.

Swasey Hotel

This rickety, 2-storey wood building was once the Swasey Hotel. Built c1894 and purchased by a Nevada rancher, it later became a clothing store and then a casino.

Narrow two story wooden building is leaning badly held up only by a wooden post in the middle — Swasey Hotel

There is a huge, wood pole propping it up, but I’m not sure how long it will remain standing.

More Interiors

Belongings left inside a building someone once called home there are chairs and a Childs rolling horse toy amongst the items left — Personal belongings left behind including a wicker stroller and a child’s rocking dog in the Metzger House

Inside the old barbers shop are two chairs on pedestals for a shave, cut and shoe shine the original wallpaper still hangs on the walls in the background — Shoe-shine and barbers

A small bed and chair inside a bedroom with a photo on the wall and small table with a few items remaining like a plate cup and bottle — A bedroom in one of the boarding houses

Looks like an old pharmacy lab, with two different types of scales as well as many glass bottles laying along the bench surface and many shelves with different items — A pharmacy perhaps?

The Standard Mill

The original homes were built back in the 1870s. The Standard Mill, as you see it today, was constructed 20 years later. Theodore Hoover – Superintendant, was brother to President Herbert Hoover and lived in the large house adjacent.

Large well maintained home resting on the hillside with large covered porch and chimney point out of the steeply angles roofline with desert brush all around — The Superintendent’s House

The Standard Mine boasted returns of $18 million over thirty-eight years. Though mining continued until 1942, the best years had long gone, and the population kept dwindling.

Photo of the Standard Mill that sits on the hillside just above Bodie Ghost Town that made many riches in the towns history — The Standard Mill

There are opportunities to take a tour of the mill. Space is limited, and tickets should be booked ahead of time. Unfortunately, there were no tours the day we went. Another reason to return!

The Discovery of Gold

William Stanford Bodey from New York, along with a group of other prospectors, discovered gold in the mountains in 1859.

They had been prospecting in “Monoville”, but as the riches began to dry up, the miners decided to venture further afield.

Unfortunately, Bodey died in a blizzard a few months after the discovery. Many years later, the town was named in his honour, albeit, with a different spelling.

Bodey’s remains were found in 1879 but somehow became misplaced. He is thought to have been laid to rest somewhere on the hillside above the cemetery. The actual location, though, is unknown.

The Cemetery

We walked over to explore the cemetery which is located on the hill across the access road. There is a large, empty stone building which was also used as a morgue.

Graves dot the landscape. Some with grand headstones, others wooden, and some are unmarked.

But before stepping over the fencing, we noticed a lone grave, away from the others.

This happened to be Rosa May, one of the madams.

Headstone in the graveyard just on the outskirts of Bodie Ghost Town, the headstone is white with a cross painted on the top and reads Rosa May — The marker in memory of Rosa May

Moving to Bodie in 1890 she became the town’s most famous prostitute. After caring for miners during a pneumonia outbreak she became ill and died as a result in 1911 at aged 57.

Because Rosa May was a working girl, the upper-class didn’t deem it fit for her to be buried in the actual cemetery, so she was laid to rest just outside.

This marker was placed here in 1965. Her true burial site according to Find a Grave is further away. A simple wooden plaque inscribed “Rosa Elizabeth White, “Rosa May” Born Jan 1855. Died in Bodie winter 1911 1912. Sacrificing herself for Bodie’s miner” marks her resting spot, although we were unable to find it.

Her story is quite fascinating, and I found a great article about her on the website Amber.

The History of Bodie Ghost Town

Between 1877 and 1881 Bodie came into its own and business boomed. There were thirty different mines, nine stamp mills, sixty saloons, and opium dens in its own Chinatown.

Remnants of the Chinese Laundry in the old chin town district of Bodie Ghost Town a sheet in a very bad state hangs from the ceiling and a washboard sits in the middle of the room — Chinese laundry

That also brought in a rough crowd and gave Bodie a reputation for having “bad men and wild times”.

Reports were saying the population swelled to 10,000. Realistically it’s believed that number was more likely between 7 and 8,000 tops.

Old wooden floor inside long and narrow building with brick walls and chairs along the edges has what looks like gymnast equipment hangs from the ceiling — There’s even a gym

The Demise of Bodie

During WWII, all non-essential mines were closed. And even though there was still gold in the mountains, the Mining Unions refused to change the pay scale. Bodie couldn’t compete with the more profitable mines and the miners moved on.

Kitchen area of someones home with chairs cabinets and cooker left behind with wooden boxes in the middle of the floor — Personal belongings discarded

Bodie Bank (Site)

Apart from a burglary in 1916, the bank, founded in 1890 by E. L. Benedict, was never robbed.

Brick remains of an old bank vault with large metal door sits behind two plaques just infant of the remaining structure — The bank vault still remains

All that remains now is the brick vault. The safe is still inside and is unscathed by the fire of 1932 which destroyed the building.

Safe inside a brick vault still in remarkable shape as if it could still be used today has been saved from weathering due to the reinforced construction of the vault surrounding it — The safe is still intact

Bodie Ghost Town State Historic Site

The town’s owner, James S Cain, hired caretakers to protect the site from looters until California State Parks purchased it in 1962. Bodie is now a State Historic Site and the buildings are being left in a state of arrested decay.

The Curse Of Bodie

Like any good ghost town, Bodie has its fair share of hauntings, apparitions, and things that go “bump” in the night. These spirits remain to protect their home, and woe betide you if you break the number one rule.

The Curse of Bodie befalls anyone who takes anything from the town. This includes rocks, pieces of glass or any artefact. The legend says that bad luck will follow you until that item is returned.

Well worn work boot laying on its side covered in dust has been forgotten to time — An old boot

Rangers still receive packages containing nails, trinkets and tokens from visitors from all around the world pleading for their bad luck to change and apologising for taking the item.

Over the years, hundreds of letters have poured in, documenting the author’s bad luck, ill health, financial crisis or relationship break-up. So many, that they are now on display at the museum.

So remember. Take only pictures, leave only footprints and the Bodie curse will leave you be.

Bodie is an experience

These buildings used to be peoples homes; they made a life here bearable for someone once upon a time. Now they face the harsh conditions out here alone, with only us mere passers-by gawking momentarily before moving on.

Two bottles rest on a wooden table with two chairs in the room of someones old home as it used to be in Bodie Ghost Town

You do need at least a full day to explore Bodie . It may not appear like it at first, but there is a lot to see and many items left behind. I’m sure some people could run through and see everything in a few hours, but why rush.

An old trunk sits in the centre of the room a shirt hangs on the wall next to an open doorway where an chair can be seen pushed up against the wall — A room in one of the boarding houses

Our Takeaway

There is something about ghost towns that draw us in. The history of how these places came into existence, the people who lived there, and the spirits which still remain. We both find it so intriguing.

We spent about 5 hours mooching around and could have easily spent another 5 and still would not have seen it all. With over 100 buildings to investigate, the artefacts which remain lost in time, it makes for an exciting and fun day out.

Bed in the foreground has a pair of pants thrown over the headboard while in the background you can see a large wooden trunk leading towards the kitchen with a picture of George Washington hanging on the wall

Bodie is one of those places that survived the hardened hands of time and has much to say. Slow down and enjoy the look, the feel, and the energy that still hangs over the town.

Rusted frame and body work of a car sits in an open field behind some buildings in the tall grass of Bodie Ghost Town

in a nutshell

Address: CA-270, Bridgeport, CA 93517
Located in the Eastern Sierra. Near Bridgeport, June Lake, Lee Vining, Mono Lake and Yosemite. A remote area accessed by State Route 270, seven miles south-east of Bridgeport.
Well signposted
12.5 miles – the last 3 are on a rough, unmaintained dirt road
Suitable for all vehicles
Hours: 9 am – 5 pm daily
Admission: $8 per adult, $5 children 16 years and under
Guidebooks are $3, and we highly recommend purchasing one
Restrooms at the car park
No other services are available – Bring plenty of water and food/snacks
Picnic area near the carpark
Wear suitable footwear – unmade paths – and there is a lot of walking
No shade – bring sunscreen, wear a hat, dress in layers. The temperatures can be extreme and vary considerably
Watch for snakes (we did see one, which slithered across the path we were walking on, disappearing into the shrub. We’re not sure what type of snake it was!)
Dogs are permitted but must be kept on a lead at all times (bring extra water for your pet, and remember, they have a fur coat and can quickly overheat)
Smoking is ONLY allowed in the parking area
Depending on your interest, you could spend all day here and not see everything (We walked around for about 5 hours and saw 50% of the town)
No camping or overnight parking permitted
Make sure you bring extra batteries, as you will end up taking dozens of photos
Leave no trace – Pack it in – pack it out
Leave ALL artefacts, glass, rocks etc. Do not take ANYTHING! Beware of the Bodie Curse

location map of Bodie Ghost Town

Screen shot arial view of google maps showing location of Bodie Ghost Town — Location Map

Explore, have fun and put another Pin In The Atlas! See you at our next location.

Unshaven man with cowboy hat and sunglasses next to a woman in a baseball cap and sunglasses both smiling at the camera, taking a selfie. In the background ruins of the mining town of Bodie

Other Ghost towns off hwy 395

RANDSBURG

CERRO GORDO

BURRO SCHMID’S TUNNEL

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Garnet - Best Ghost Town in Montana - Pin In The Atlas says:

14th August 2024 at 11:56 am

[…] With WWII breaking out in 1939, the population dwindled once again. The restrictions on the use of dynamite made mining almost impossible. The post office served its last customer in 1942 before closing its doors forever, making the once bustling town of Garnet into a ghost town. […]

Bodie Ghost Town – Walk with Spirits of the Past

Our Road Trip

Where to begin at Bodie Ghost Town?