Bodie, Ghost town and National Historic Landmark in Mono County, California.
More than 200 weathered wooden structures stand along unpaved streets at this remote mountain site, including a Methodist church, jail, firehouse, general store, schoolhouse and numerous residential buildings from the mining era.
William Bodey discovered gold here in 1859, though the camp remained small until 1876 when the Standard Company struck a rich vein that triggered explosive population growth and two decades of intensive mining operations.
Original furnishings, mining equipment and household goods remain inside the buildings, offering direct evidence of how California gold rush communities functioned during the late nineteenth century.
Access requires driving 13 miles (21 kilometers) on unpaved roads from Highway 395, with the final three miles particularly rough and impassable during winter months when heavy snow closes the park from November through April.
Park rangers maintain buildings using a preservation philosophy called arrested decay, stabilizing structures without restoration to keep them looking naturally weathered rather than artificially maintained.
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