World Art Utopia

Bodie — Bodie State Historic Park, California

An old blue flatbed truck with yellow wheels parked beside two antique gas pumps in Bodie, with the weathered wooden town and bare hills behind
Artwork FileBodie, California

Bodie

SeenNov 2026

Bodie State Historic Park, Mono County, California

Photo: Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress (public domain), as published on Street Art Utopia.

Bodie is a gold-mining ghost town in the hills east of the Sierra Nevada in Mono County, California. It boomed after rich ore finds in the 1870s, emptied after mining stopped in 1942, and has been a state historic park since 1962, its surviving buildings kept in a state of “arrested decay.” Source Source Source Source Checked

Seen November 2026: the California State Parks page for Bodie, with a notice last checked on 7 November 2026, says the park is currently open daily from 9am to 4pm (winter hours). Source Reported

More photos

Black-and-white view over Bodie from the Standard ore mill, with a tall smokestack and metal mill roofs in front and scattered wooden houses below bare rolling hills
1962 Looking west over Bodie from the Standard ore millPhoto: Ronald Partridge / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Black-and-white view between two weathered wooden halls in Bodie, the Miners’ Union Hall and the Odd Fellows Hall, with old wagons in the grass and the town and hills behind
1962 Miners’ Union Hall and Odd Fellows Hall, looking eastPhoto: Ronald Partridge / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

💡 5 things to know

  1. Named after a prospectorGold was found at the site in 1859 by William S. Bodey (also written Body) and E.S. Taylor. Bodey died in a snowstorm that winter on a supply trip, and the Bodie Mining District was organized in 1860 in his honor. Source Source Source Checked
  2. How big did it get?Bodie grew fast after big ore finds in 1875–1876. California State Parks puts the peak at roughly 8,000 people; its own history page, the National Park Service and the Capitol Museum say about or over 10,000. Source Source Source Source Conflicting
  3. “A bad man from Bodie”By the 1880s the town had such a tough reputation that it spawned the expression “a bad man from Bodie,” for someone unusually unpleasant, according to the National Park Service. Source Reported
  4. Closed by a wartime orderThe War Production Board suspended mining in 1942, during World War II, and the last residents left soon after. Mining never resumed. Source Source Source Checked
  5. Left as it wasBodie became a National Historic Landmark District in 1961 and a state historic park in 1962. About 110 buildings still stand, kept in “arrested decay,” and interiors remain stocked with goods and furniture. Source Source Source Checked

📍 Where it is

Bodie lies in the Bodie Hills east of the Sierra Nevada in Mono County. Source Source Checked California State Parks gives the route: from U.S. 395 seven miles south of Bridgeport, take State Route 270 east 10 miles to the end of the pavement, then continue 3 miles on an unsurfaced road. Source Reported

Open in Maps

The map pin uses the townsite coordinates given on Wikipedia (38.21222, -119.01222). California State Parks says winter visits may need skis, snowshoes or snowmobiles.

🗓️ Sightings

  1. 1859Jul

    Gold found by William S. Bodey and E.S. Taylor · NPS

  2. 1879

    Town reaches over 250 buildings · NPS

  3. 1932Jun

    Fire destroys part of the Main Street business district · NPS

  4. 1942

    War Production Board suspends mining; last residents leave · NPS

  5. 1961

    National Historic Landmark District · NPS

  6. 1962Jul

    View from the Standard ore mill · HABS, camera date

  7. 1962Jul

    Miners’ Union Hall and Odd Fellows Hall · HABS, camera date

  8. 1962

    Designated a State Historic Park · California State Parks

  9. 2002

    Named California’s official State Gold Rush Ghost Town · Capitol Museum

  10. 20267 Nov

    Park open daily, winter hours · California State Parks

Amber stamps mark records or reports; green stamps are dated photos. Publication dates are not camera dates.

🗞️ In the sources

National Park ServiceUpdated 7 June 2019

Bodie Historic District

“Bodie became a National Historic Landmark District in 1961 and a State Historic Park in 1962.”

Read the source →

California State Capitol Museum19 October 2021

Gold Rush Ghost Town – Bodie

“The California Legislature designated it California’s official State Gold Rush Ghost Town in 2002.”

Read the source →

California State ParksChecked 7 November 2026

Bodie State Historic Park

“Bodie State Historic Park is a genuine California gold-mining ghost town.”

Read the source →

✅ The facts

Town
Bodie, Mono County, California Source Source Source Checked
Gold found
1859, by W. S. Bodey (or Body) Source Source Source Checked
Peak population
Roughly 8,000 (California State Parks) vs about or over 10,000 (State Parks history page, NPS, Capitol Museum) Source Source Source Source Conflicting
Mining ended
1942, by War Production Board order Source Source Source Checked
Fires
July 1892 and June 1932, both in the Main Street business district Source Reported
Landmark
National Historic Landmark District, 1961 Source Source Checked
State park
Bodie State Historic Park, 1962 Source Source Source Checked
State symbol
Official State Gold Rush Ghost Town, 2002 Source Source Checked
Still standing
About 110 buildings Source Source Checked
Elevation
8,379 ft (NPS, Capitol Museum) vs 8,375 ft (California State Parks) Source Source Source Conflicting
Status
Open daily, winter hours, on a page checked 7 November 2026 Source Reported

🔗 Related

All sources & image credits

Last checked: 8 November 2026 · How we verify art