Bodie State Historic Park Maps and Drawings

The town of Bodie, Mono County, California was the site of a discovery of gold in 1859 by William Bodey. A small mining community was established but little ore was located. In 1863 a number of claims were consolidated into the Bodie Bluff Consolidated Mining Company but despite the infusion of capital, the area remained a minor district.

It was not until major discoveries of gold beginning in 1877 that the population of Bodie exploded, along with gold mining and milling activity. By 1879 the population swelled to 7,000 and there were from 600-800 buildings. The business and stock depression had serious consequences for Bodie and led to a decline which included the closing of mines, mills, and general businesses. The population fell to 1,500 by 1887 and although there were occasional brief booms, the town never reached the importance of the years around 1880. Fires also took their toll; those of 1884, 1892, and 1932 devastated the town.

As the population shrank, leading merchant and banker J.S. Cain began to purchase property and by the 1930s he and his family owned most of Bodie and the surrounding area. By the 1950s it was a true ghost town, populated only by a caretaker hired by the Cains. Bodie was sold to the California Department of Parks and Recreation in 1956 and became Bodie State Historic Park (BSHP). Today, the town is maintained in a state of "arrested decay" to preserve those structures which remain.