Sitting silently in the Bodie Hills east of the Sierra Nevada mountains is Bodie ? the best-preserved ghost town from the California Gold Rush. Once one of the biggest gold-mining towns in the Wild West, Bodie experienced a boom in the late 1800s after gold was discovered nearby. At its peak, the town had around 10,000 residents, 60 saloons, and a reputation for rowdy behavior and gunfights.
But when the gold ran out, people started to leave. By the early 1900s, Bodie was nearly empty. Fires later destroyed much of the town, and what remains today is preserved in a state of “arrested decay,” meaning buildings are kept just as they were found ? dusty and creaky, filled with old furniture, schoolbooks scattered on desks, and even dishes left on tables. It is almost as if the inhabitants had suddenly disappeared, leaving everything behind. Today, Bodie is a California Historical Landmark, drawing thousands of visitors each year. People can walk through its silent streets, peek inside abandoned homes, and imagine what life was like during the Gold Rush. Some say Bodie is haunted, adding to its eerie charm. A time capsule of America’s Wild West, Bodie is the perfect destination for fans of the era and Western genre.
Yesel Kang Copy Editor junior/1763605211/1613368124
1. Why did people begin leaving Bodie after its boom years?
2. What does “arrested decay” mean in the context of Bodie today?
3. How do the remaining buildings show what life was like in the past?
4. What can visitors do when they explore the ghost town of Bodie?
1. Would you feel scared or excited walking through abandoned buildings?
2. Have you ever visited a historical site that felt frozen in time?
3. Would you want to explore a place from the Gold Rush era?
4. Do ghost stories make a place more interesting to you?
Sitting silently in the Bodie Hills east of the Sierra Nevada mountains is Bodie ? the best-preserved ghost town from the California Gold Rush. Once one of the biggest gold-mining towns in the Wild West, Bodie experienced a boom in the late 1800s after gold was discovered nearby. At its peak, the town had around 10,000 residents, 60 saloons, and a reputation for rowdy behavior and gunfights.
