Bodie, California is a ghost town situated in a remote area east of the Sierra Nevada and about 75 miles south of Lake Tahoe. Like many gold rush towns, it quickly grew in size of well over 10,000 after gold was discovered in 1859. It flourished as long as the gold held out - until around 1890. Mining on a much smaller scale continued until WWII. Bodie was a classic wild west town in its heyday. People living here were hearty and tough. They had to be. Daily events were unpredictable because of the kind people attracted to mining towns and situated at 8,000', winters sometimes saw temperatures plunge to -20. Summer temperatures could exceed 100. Today Bodie is described as being held in "arrested decay" as a state park. Visitors can see Bodie as it was when the last person abandoned it.

My wife and I visited Bodie in 1970 and again in May, 2008. Both times it was cold and windy. On this last visit, we had the added feature of intermittent snow flurries. The weather didn't dampen any of the spirits of the visitors that day. Bodie is a fascinating town and will have a lot of character - in any weather.

Here are three galleries - one from 1970 and two from May, 2008. The 1970 gallery has black and white photos. The other two include color and sepia photos from 2008.

I hope you enjoy them.
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