Bodie: The Town That Died

I come from a family of gold miners. My great-great grandfather and his family left Colorado in search of wealth in California. His son — my great-grandfather — received a formal education in mining engineering before following his father’s footsteps in the gold mines. Every day they crawled into dark depths looking for fortune.

Pacific mining boomed with the Gold Rush of 1849, and thousands of people chased the magic yellow mineral to the coast in hopes of wealth. Mining was dangerous work, though, and one in twelve miners died either from work-related accidents or from violence. The thought of prosperity turned men into monsters, and pick axes proved to be pretty useful when other lads overstepped their territories.

Native Americans also suffered in a major way, from disease and starvation to violent attacks. Miners drove them out of their hunting grounds and deadly fights broke out in return. With the thousands of deaths surrounding the mining towns, it’s no surprise that ghost stories are abundant and flourishing across the coast.

A few years ago, I visited one of these “haunted” mining towns. It was a stunning day; massive clouds guarded the horizon, and a blue sky contrasted brilliantly with the red, crumbling buildings that were scattered across the valley.

Welcome to Bodie, California.

William S. Bodey found gold in 1859, and a mining camp was established soon after. Nearly twenty years later, the discovery of more gold veins brought Bodie booming popularity. By 1880, there were about ten-thousand residents, all drawn by the thirst for fortune.

Bodie was a lawless land. Out of the nearly eight-hundred buildings, sixty five were saloons, including brothels, gambling halls, and opium dens. Miners filled them all by the end of the day. Bar fights were started like clockwork, robbers declared holdups, prostitutes called out from the dark, and people never stopped dying.

As I walked through the dusty streets, snapping dozens of photos, I could just imagine the town in the peak of its glory. Rowdy men spilled alcohol on their shirts at the bar, claiming their soon-to-be success. A family installed yellow pressed tin panels in their bedroom. A tired man with rough hands dug another grave at the far end of town.

Violence was commonplace in Bodie. A Reno newspaper wrote in 1878, “Why can’t a man get along in Bodie without fighting?” The Bodie paper replied:

“Really, we can’t say. It must be the altitude. There is some irresistible power in Bodie which impels us to cut and shoot each other …. The clashing of revolvers up and down Main street can be constantly heard, and . . . a man cannot go to his dinner without getting a bullet hole in his hat, or the seat of his unmentionables cut away by the deadly knife of the desperado. Yes, it is sad, but only too true, that everybody must fight that comes to Bodie.”

Tales were told of a violent, foul-mouthed, gun-slinging man called the Bad Man of Bodie. There is no evidence that this man ever existed, but men who looked the part were often targeted. One of these men claimed, “I am suspected of carrying nitroglycerine in each pocket, of having a large and ugly-shaped knife in each boot, and a brace of pistols in my belt.” Clearly, Bodie was neck-deep in trouble.

Murder wasn’t Bodie’s only affliction. The brutally cold winter of 1878 to 1879 brought disease and literally froze people to death. There were also mining accidents involving falling timber and and exploding powder magazines. In 1892, there was a massive fire that destroyed a great deal and in 1932, a second fire took care of the rest. There wasn’t much to Bodie after that, and no one really came back — until the tourism industry took the town under its wing.

Bodie became a historic state park in 1962. It is in a state of arrested decay, meaning nothing has been restored. It looks basically the same as it did when everyone left. Some people, however, believe that someone or something still remains.

Park rangers have stayed in a house once owned by businessman J.S. Cain and his family. One woman claimed that she felt a presence holding her down on the bed. She struggled to be free and ended up on the floor. Another ranger had the same experience. He also saw a door open and felt like he was suffocating for no apparent reason. Some believe it is a heavy-set Chinese woman, perhaps the Cain’s maid, that haunts the house.

Others have seen a woman in a window and have heard the sound of children laughing. In one house, a ghost supposedly sits knitting in her rocking chair. One man visiting the town noticed his daughter playing with an unseen figure. This ghost was said to be Evelyn, also known as the Angel of Bodie. Evelyn died when she was accidentally hit on the head with a miner’s pick. She was only one month away from her third birthday.

Bodie’s residents were very territorial and protective, and it is said that a curse is placed on anyone who takes an artifact from the park. Unmarked boxes are sent back with stolen souvenirs and letters, apologizing for the theft and asking for forgiveness. People have written about losing their jobs, being in car wrecks, falling ill, spraining their ankles, experiencing earthquakes, and more. Items such as coins, rocks, nails, and bottles are returned every year in the hopes that the curse will be lifted.

Park ranger Mark Pupich stated, “I believe in the hex. I don’t dare take anything and neither should anybody else. I’ve seen enough letters, talked to enough people about what can happen. People take something, then have all this bad luck. There’s been some really sad cases.”

Here are a couple excerpts from the letters:

“I am SORRY! … while I was in the museum I read the letters of others who had collected things and had bad luck. I started to think about the car accident, the loss of my job, my continuing illness and other bad things that have haunted me for the past year since my visit and violation. Please find enclosed the collectibles I `just couldn’t live without’ and ask the spirits to see my regrets.”

“Please find enclosed one weather-beaten old shoe. My trail of misfortune is so long and depressing, it can’t be listed here. I urge anyone tempted to take a souvenir from Bodie to look and DON’T TOUCH!”

The only thing I took in Bodie were photographs, but I’ve had plenty of bad luck since I’ve been there. Was I cursed? No, but it’s a romantic idea. Bodie was a fantastic experience and learning the history behind it makes it so much richer. If you get a chance to go, do it. Don’t forget to look out for faces in the windows and remember that it’s best to leave everything as it unless you want to risk a curse from the town that brought riches and death.

If you got a kick out of this story, please share it so that others can find it. Thanks!

Sources:

Author Unknown. “Bodie Ghost Town.” GhostTownGallery.com. 2003. Web. 22 January 2016.

Author Unknown. “Bodie State Historic Park.” Bodie.com. n.d. Web. 22 January 2016.

Nickell, Joe. “The Curse of Bodie: Legacy of Ghost-Town Ghosts?” csicop.org. November/December 2003. Web. 22 January 2016.

Piatt, Michael H. “The Bad Man From Bodie: A Frontier Legend Rediscovered.” BodieHistory.com. March 2009. Web. 22 January 2016.

Stienstra, Tom. “Ghost Town’s Curse Lives On.” Articles.Sun-Sentinel.com. 5 May 1996. Web. 22 January 2016.