Bodie, California is one of the most complete ghost towns around. Bodie is in Mono County and east of the Sierra Nevada mountains. It is about 75 miles southeast of Lake Tahoe and 12 miles from Bridgeport. After you turn off you have a couple of miles of paved road and then it is gravel for 6-7 miles I would estimate. It can be a little rough especially after the winter. Bodie is a California State Historic Park and is also a National Historic Landmark. Gold was originally found here in 1859 and was mined til about 1868. There were new gold strikes in 1878 and they lasted til the late 1880s. Bodie mines produced about $34 million in gold. At the towns peak there were 65 saloons on main street and a population in 1879 of 5 -7,000. There was a Chinatown and a Red Light District. In 1910, there was a population of 698 people. In 1942, the last mines closed. There are about 170 buildings standing. While not being renovated the state is trying to preserve and protect what is there. There are stores with merchandise still in the windows. The school and church has chairs, pews and other items. There are old vehicles sitting around too. It is basically closed in winter due to the weather and roads. The best time to visit is in the summer but the temperatures do rise. Currently the population is 3 Park Rangers who live on the property. It is a great place to take photos. Besides the town there is also one of the mines with buildings on the hill overlooking Bodie. Check it out.
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