"Bodie, once a busy city!" Top 5 Page for this destination Bodie State Historic Park by JLBG

Bodie State Historic Park Travel Guide: 95 reviews and 223 photos

Bodie, once a busy city! - Bodie State Historic Park

A gold slab reminds that gold was discovered here in 1859… No sorry, it should be a gold slab but it is not. Is it a golden slab ? I am afraid is not, neither. I would bet for a brass slab! Too bad but everybody will understand that even a golden slab would not remain for long on display!

Bodie is one of the well preserved ghost towns of the west. It is in Mono county, 120 km south to Lake Tahoe, at an elevation of 2,550 m (8,400 feet). To reach Bodie, you must drive a dusty 8 km (13 miles) long road, off of state highway 395.

The town was abandoned around WWII and became Bodie State Historic Park in 1962. Since then, it is ruled by the California State Park System and kept “in a state of arrested decay”.

Bodie, once a busy city!

Intro Updated Feb 13, 2009
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Reviews (21)

Bishop, on Highway 395 Off The Beaten Path (2)

Bishop, in Inyo county, prides itself to be the "Mule Capital of the World". It is on US Highway 395, the main... more travel advice

Mono Lake, a recovering endangered... Off The Beaten Path (2)

In Mono County, near Lee Vining, at an elevation of 2067 meters (6781 feet), Mono lake is a green oasis in the dry Great... more travel advice

W. S. Bodey Things to Do (19)

In the cemetery, a large slab of granite reminds the memory of Waterman S. Bodey that gave his name to the town. He was... more travel advice

Modern grave - Bodie State Historic Park

Modern grave Things to Do (19)

Bodie was still inhabited in 192, when the industrial district of the town burnt. It seems that it was inhabited until... more travel advice

Comments (10)

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volopolo Jan 4, 2011 at 3:13 AM

Hi Jean, how are you ?
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BruceDunning Nov 22, 2009 at 11:05 AM

When you saw parks in US, you did it up right around California. Great pictures and comments on this historic town. It does nearly rival some of those parks I saw in Utah/Arizona recently, and cam e back alive.
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Trekki Sep 1, 2009 at 11:55 PM

Hahahaha, love the toilet joke :-)) They seem to have adapted the Roman habit, community s*** was very popular there as well :-) Oh my, I love ghost towns, and this one reminds me of the houses in Sweden: wood & red :-)
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Pawtuxet Jul 25, 2009 at 5:35 AM

Great look at the old west. Ghost towns have a certain mystique. New Mexico has some neat ones along the Turquoise Trail. Thanks for bringing us to Bodie!
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scottishvisitor Jun 3, 2009 at 1:31 PM

Great history entwined through your Bodie Page I loved the old buildings especially the leaning ones!!
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deecat Apr 10, 2009 at 2:46 PM

What a great page about Bodie State Historic Park. I especially liked the Mono Lake, Methodist Church, James Stuart's Home, Boone Store, Saw Mill, and the graves. I think Shell used to be a USA company in the beginning. Excellent Photographs.
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Jenniflower Mar 31, 2009 at 3:32 AM

Bodie State Historic Park is just the kinda place we'd love to visit - what incredible history - loved your stories!
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Kuznetsov_Sergey Feb 26, 2009 at 9:08 AM

A very interesting trip to this ghost town as if you traveled by time-machine! Funny story about a boy and a stranger at the amusing three-holer restroom. Wooden houses reminded me our Russian villages where one can find a lot of them even now.
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Bwana_Brown Feb 15, 2009 at 5:42 AM

Jean-Louis, excellent photos and descriptions of the many buildings in this old ghost town! As a youngster, I remember how cold the outhouse was at my grandparent's place in winter! Later, I had a summer job at my grandfather's small sawmill.
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tpal Feb 13, 2009 at 12:38 PM

Great photos Jean-Louis. I doubt that a real gold sign would last long even in this remote spot. The "three-holer" does seem a little tight...maybe it gave a opportunity to find a clean seat if someone's aim was off recently ;-) Thx...Tom