Bridgeport, California, USA. Welcome to Bodie, or at least what remains of it. Nestled into the Sierra Nevada mountain range at
Bridgeport, California, USA. Welcome to Bodie, or at least what remains of it. Nestled into the Sierra Nevada mountain range at over 8000ft elevation, this ghost town was once one of the largest gold rush mining communities on the West Coast. Gold was discovered here in 1859 by Waterman S. Bodey and by the 1880s had grown to a peak population of around 8000 residents. Up to 30 lucrative gold mines and associated industries operated here, as well as 60 saloons, prostitute 'cribs' and opium dens on the seedier side of town. Mining declined in the 1900s with the last remaining mine closing in 1942. The site was purchased by California State Parks in 1962 and has been preserved in a state of "arrested decay" ever since. Pictured: Methodist Church
Size: 5120px × 1440px
Location: Bodie, Box 515Bridgeport, CA 93517-0515
Photo credit: © David Stock / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 18oos, 19th, abandoned, american, bodie, boomtown, century, clifornia, decay, ghost, gold, gun, history, horse, house, houses, huts, life, lost, mining, mountains, nevada, nostalgia, preserved, prospect, prospecting, remote, rush, sierra, slinger, tow, town, usa, west, wild, work
