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Sierra Sun Times
Bodie, California
- By Linda Gast
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"Goodbye, God I am going to Bodie" This is a statement written by a little girl whose family moved
to Bodie from San Francisco. Bodie is the largest ghost town in the west. It once was home to 10,000 people. Gold was
discovered in 1859 and the men came to work the mines. many brought their families. At one time there is said to have
been 65 saloons in the town. Amongst the saloons were numerous brothels and 'houses of ill repute', gambling halls and
opium dens. It has been a state park since 1962 and it is pretty much like the residents left it.
Bodie, CA is a great place to visit. It is like stepping back in time.
Don't expect everything to be in perfect order. It is in what they call an
arrested state of decay. You feel like the residents just stepped
out and forgot to come back. There are dishes covered with dust left on the tables in some of the houses and books on the
desks in the school house.
It is a photographer's dream. The light is incredible.
They even have special times that photographers can come in early in the morning before the park opens.
Summers in Bodie are hot, but in winter, temperatures often plummet well
below 0° F, and winds could sweep across the valley at close to 100 miles per hour. Nights remain cold even through the
summer, and Bodie has held the record for the number of coldest consecutive days in the nation.
In the summer Bodie is just over the "hill" from Mariposa via Tioga Pass through Yosemite National
Park. .
Bodie State Park is open all year round. You can check out more information at bodie.com To contact Linda: Linda Gast www.hummingbirdmountain.com www.mariposaspca.org For more articles and photos by Linda Gast: Linda Gast Archives |
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