Bodie State Historic Park

Bodie State Historic Park is a genuine California gold-mining ghost town. Visitors can walk down the deserted streets of a town that once had a population of nearly 10,000 people. The town is named for Waterman S. Body (William Bodey), who had discovered small amounts of gold in hills north of Mono Lake. In 1875, a mine cave-in revealed pay dirt, which led to purchase of the mine by the Standard Company in 1877. People flocked to Bodie and transformed it from a town of a few dozen to a boomtown. The town is widely known for it's curse on tourists who have decided to take an illegal souvenirs, a hex that many claim is the reason the town remains so untouched. Because of this, the caretakers of the town receive a steady stream of mail containing trinkets like rusted nails, shoes, and even hot water heaters.  "I believe in the hex," said park ranger Mark Pupich. "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's a sample of the letters that have arrived: "AHHHHH! Enough Already - here's your nail back - MERCY!'' "During holidays in 1990 we visited Bodie. We saw that nail on the ground and had the feeling we have to take it with us back to Germany. Now after these years of bad luck, we decided to send the nail back to the ghost town, in hope our luck comes back." "I did something I've never done before. I took something from the land and buildings, pieces of bottles and some nails. Though I wasn't brought up this way, and taught my own children that stealing is wrong, I still did it myself. Since that last trip, we have experienced more tragedies and bad luck than anyone we know. I realize sending these things back won't rid us of any future misfortune, but hopefully they won't be so severe. Please accept my apology and for not practicing what I preached." Bodie is an original mining town from the late 1800's. What's left today stands in a state of "arrested decay" and is maintained by the California State Parks System, who took over the town in 1962 to make it a State Historic Park. In 1859 William (a.k.a. Waterman) S. Bodey discovered gold near what is now called Bodie Bluff. A mill was established in 1861 and the town began to grow. It started with about 20 miners and grew to an estimated 10,000 people by 1880! By then, the town of Bodie bustled with families, robbers, miners, store owners, gunfighters, prostitutes and people from every country in the world. At one time there was reported to be 65 saloons in town. Among the saloons were numerous brothels and 'houses of ill repute', gambling halls and opium dens - an entertainment outlet for everyone. On a daily basis miners would emerge from the mills and head for the bars and the red light district to spend their earnings. The mixture of money, gold and alcohol would often prove fatal. Newspapers report that towns people would ask in the mornings "Have a man for breakfast?" Meaning 'Did anyone get killed last night?' The town has been preserved in its state of arrested decay, meaning the buildings are kept to look like a ghost town. It looks much like it did long ago, with shelves still stocked, and even a gold mill is available for touring. Locals say the site attracts ghosts; many sightings have been reported all around the area.