Bodie Ghost Town State Park ~ California

Bodie, California certainly is one of the most famous ghost towns in the west and much of the notoriety in modern times is due the paranormal nature of this mysterious place. When touring this ghost town, the first thing noticed is how the residents left all of their personal and business items in place before moving on to new horizons. It is easy to assume that there must have been a paranormal reason for abandonment, especially after viewing certain television programs. A conspiracy theorist might even assume that aliens were involved somehow. Most quick thinkers blame the old famous Bodie Mining Camp curse, but there is a more tangible angle that is a little bit easier to believe.

Back in 1875 a prospector discovered pay dirt in the rolling foothills north of the Mono Basin and soon the investment funds started pouring in. Within a few years the Bodie Mining Camp population grew to nearly 10,000 citizens. A gigantic mill was constructed and the infrastructure needed for a small city was installed during the boom. Bodie was advertised as a bonanza gold strike that compared to the Nevada Comstock Lode, which contributed to the massive growth initiative. This gold rush town ended up being one of the fastest growing cities in California, but just like with so many other boom towns, the lifespan was short lived.

Activity at Bodie reached a peak in 1880, which was when the first sign of ore depletion came to light. Modernized mining technologies kept the operations profitable into the 1890s, but for those who sought to become rich the quick way, it was evident that Bodie was no longer the place to be. Most of the Bodie population immediately moved on to occupy other new regional ore strikes. Those who remained were determined to maintain Bodie as a family oriented community. By 1910 only a few hundred residents remained and soon the railway line was abandoned. Gold production was minimal and this small community stayed on the map up till the 1940s, when Bodie finally achieved full ghost town status.

The abandonment of Bodie differs from other western ghost towns in part because the residents simply left everything in place and they seemingly moved on to new horizons with only the shirts on their backs. All around town the store shelves are still lined with merchandise, dinner tables have place settings and even the old antique light bulbs are still screwed into the sockets. Daily lessons scrawled on the schoolhouse chalkboard can be seen through the window, yet the sounds of children playing are lost in the distant past. The complete abandonment certainly turned Bodie into a treasure trove of wild west memorabilia. It is fortunate that a few caretakers protected this historic site from the 1940s through the 1960s, which was when this ghost town achieved protected status as a California State Historical Park.

Mysterious circumstances surrounded the death of a founding prospector named Bodie, who froze to death in a blizzard after being left behind by his partner. As the story goes, Bodie uttered a powerful curse before passing away. The pair of prospectors had supposedly just discovered a new gold strike, which adds dubious possibilities to the legendary story and it almost makes the curse believable.  

Others claim the curse was established as a preventative measure in the mid 1900s when ghost town looting was rampant. By intention, the Bodie curse has a way of creeping into the minds of visitors and the effects are well known. The curse basically states that those who take any item from Bodie will be subject to an overwhelming streak of bad luck, until the item is returned. As can be imagined, this old curse has become quite a strong deterrence through the years. In fact, some people that pocketed artifacts and suffered ill fate actually sent the stolen items back to Bodie in the mail just to alleviate the dark curse. Some visitors actually go as far as to scrape pebbles off of their shoes on the way out of town, just to be sure that they are not affected.

Touring the 110 buildings and the old gold mill that remains in Bodie is an experience that compares to stepping into a time capsule from the old wild west. Peeking in the windows to see the lifestyles of the past frozen in time is definitely part of the charm.  It can take a full day to wander through the entire town site, so it is best to pack a picnic basket for the venture. 

Of course there is also the dark side. There once were 60 saloons in Bodie and a full day going by without a local murder was a fairly rare occurrence. For this reason, Bodie may have some paranormal activity to share besides the old curse. Bodie offers one of the best ghost town walking tours in the entire west and the old curse will be present every step of the way. For those who may possibly be affected by the Bodie curse, be sure to empty the pockets at the official state park donation box in order to guarantee a safe return!
​