California’s Best-Preserved Ghost Town Is Like Walking Through An Old Western Film
If you’re fascinated by stories of disappearing colonies or abandoned villages, you should visit the Bodie ghost town in Bodie State Historic Park in California.
The state park is considered California’s best-preserved ghost town, thanks to the work of the Bodie Foundation, which is dedicated to raising funding to stabilize the town’s structures and preserve artifacts.
If you walk around the Bodie ghost town, it almost looks like you’re on the set of an old Western film. The buildings are so amazingly preserved they don’t look as though they’re over 100 years old, but they are.
The town was named after William Bodey, who had discovered small amounts of gold north of the nearby Mono Lake. He and his men decided to build a cabin in the area and began mining.
Only a few residents lived in Bodie in 1876, but by 1879, the population soared up to 10,000 people as the mining industry expanded.
By 1881, the main road in the town of Bodie stretched a mile long. There were two churches, a telegraph station, a post office, mills, motels, general stores, schools, stables, doctor’s offices, a cemetery, etc. It was quite a hopping town.
However, in 1892, a kitchen fire wiped out many of the town’s buildings. They were eventually restored, but a large number of residents never returned.
Another tragic fire occurred in 1932, and most of the town burnt to the ground, making it a ghost town.
However, in 1961 the town received National Landmark Status, and the remaining buildings became a central part of what is now known as Bodie State Park. One of the buildings still standing is the beautiful Methodist church, a highlight for many visitors.
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The old general store still has its windows stocked with canned goods and baskets of sweets. They also still have an old cash register inside.
There’s no denying the eerie haunted vibe that comes from these buildings. If you love a good ghost tour, the Bodie Foundation offers them between 6:00-8:00 pm, and you can walk through the old cemetery. It sounds fun and spooky at the same time!
Would you want to take a ghost tour through the ghost town of Bodie?
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