Bodie, California, USA


There was a time when Bodie, a mining town in northern California, thrived. In 1876, gold discoveries meant the sleepy desert spot swiftly transformed into a Wild West boomtown as prospectors moved in to make their fortunes. Buildings shot up, including banks, schools, a church and a jail. It’s believed that, at its peak, there were 65 saloons along Main Street, where shootouts and brawls were common. There were also around 10,000 residents during Bodie’s heyday, and the amount of gold found there was said to be valued as high as $34m. But it couldn’t last forever…

By the early 1880s, miners began to move away to other gold boomtowns in states such as Montana and Arizona. Bodie was still producing gold and many families decided to stay, but mine closures and two devastating fires in the years that followed saw the population dwindle. By 1920, it was recorded as just 120 people. In 1962, with no remaining residents, Bodie was made a Historic National Park. To this day, visitors can walk the eerie, dusty streets and visit the homes still furnished with the belongings of the long-deceased residents.

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