The history of Bodie is vibrant and colorful and the town's legacy as a Wild West icon is everlasting. With a diverse population numbering close to 10,000 at the town's peak in 1880, industrious miners and successful businessman rubbed shoulders with notorious gunfighters and nefarious gamblers. From the tales of the initial discoverer, whose life ended tragically, to the development of electrically powered gold mines and vicious gunfights, the story of Bodie is sure to interest all members of your group or family.
A Brief History of Bodie
The birth of the town of Bodie began in summer of 1859, with four adventurous prospectors wandering the Eastern Sierra foothills in the search of mineral wealth. Arriving from the western slopes via Sonora Pass, the group began exploring the canyons and hills north of Mono Lake. About 10 miles from Monoville, the group discovered a promising placer (stream bed) showing of gold within a meadow surrounded by rolling hills of sagebrush. The men felt confident in their placer prospects and they immediately built a small cabin next to Pearson Spring, which is on the outskirts of the ghost town near the old cemetery. With winter approaching, the miners decided to spend the cold months in the nearby mining camp of Monoville and return to the mining claim in the spring.
The news of discovery did not reach far and the deposit was almost forgotten. At this time, the massive mines of the Comstock Lode in Virginia City to the north were in full production and the gold mines of Aurora to the east were rapidly developing, keeping thousands of miners employed. As these deposits were exhausted, miners began emigrating into the Bodie Hills and the region rapidly exploded.
In 1876, Bodie had only a few dozen residents. By 1879 and 1880, the town grew to an estimated population of around 10,000 people as the mining industry quickly expanded. This rapid growth brought an incredibly diverse population, which comprised a broad spectrum of culture, ethnicity, and notability, into the Bodie Hills. As the people came in, the town began to evolve and several prominent neighborhoods became established.
To the east of town, the mighty mines and mills pumped economic lifeblood into the town. In the center and south of town, a vibrant business district blossomed, flanked to the west by the well-kept homes of mine management and business owners The northern end of town came to life in the evenings, as the dozens of saloons, gambling halls, taverns, brothels, and opium dens of the Red Light District and Chinatown beckoned miners with their expensive vices. Bodie quickly gained the reputation as a “shooters town” due to the Wild West-style gunfights that often erupted during the height of the town's prominence.
In 1881, the Bodie and Benton Railroad was formed and although the 32-mile rail line never connected the towns of Bodie and Benton as intended, it did provide much-needed lumber to the mines from Mono Mills on the south side of Mono Lake. The availability of lumber, which was necessary for building construction, mine support, and fuel, was a major issue for the residents Bodie and until the railway was completed, continuous 20-head mule teams hauled lumber from the forests to the west and south.
At its peak between 1879 and 1881, Bodie's main street reached over a mile in length. During this time, Bodie had 2 churches (Catholic and Methodist), at least 2 newspapers, a telegraph station, post office, 22 operating mines, many large (and very noisy) stamp-style ore mills, multiple motels, several general stores and mercantiles, stables, doctors and pharmacists, union halls, schools, breweries, and several dozen saloons. Although it is difficult to accurately gauge the size of the town due to the transient nature of the region's population in the 1870's and 1880's, Bodie was likely the 6th or 7th largest city in California at this time.
Aside from the vast mineral wealth and the rough and tumble reputation of the town, Bodie's next claim to fame is the installation and operation of the world's first long-distance electrical transmission network. In 1892, the Superintendent of Bodie's Standard Mine began designing an electrical system to replace the facility's expensive and laborious steam plant. After locating a suitable site for a hydroelectric station on Green Creek near Bridgeport, 12.5 miles of suspended power lines were strung linking the 3300-volt hydroelectric station to the mine. At this time, electrical transmission over such a great distance was unheard of and many of the mine's investors were skeptical of the undertaking. Once the lights turned on and the machinery began turning on electrical power, the skeptics were turned to believers and industry was revolutionized at a global scale.
A kitchen fire in the summer of 1892 destroyed much of town to the west of main street. The town was rebuilt, although the damage was done and several of the residents left. Tragedy struck Bodie again in the early summer of 1932 when most of the town burnt to the ground. This fire, which was accidentally started by a young boy playing with matches, sealed the fate of the once glorious mining town.
After major mining ended in 1915 and small-scale mining efforts halted in the early 1950's, the remaining buildings slowly began to decay as residents left or passed on. Due to the town's remarkable ghost town-like remains and the value of the minerals mined from the surrounding hills, the town received National Landmark Status in 1961. California adopted the Bodie State Historic Park in 1962 and it remains today preserved and maintained by the Bodie Foundation.
