Bodie

13 miles east of highway 395 located northeast of Yosemite National Park in

Bridgeport, California on Sate Road 270 Bodie, a thriving mining town back in

1881. The best time of the year to visit is during the summer because other

times the weather is unpredictable. The Park is open from 8:00am to 7:00pm

during the summer months and 8:00am to 4:00pm the rest of the year. An

entrance fee is charged year round but it is totally worth it!


A walk through the past can change any stubborn yet open minded persons

perspective of a “Ghost Town” such as Bodie. Back in the day, the evil town had

many “whore-houses” and taverns.


Due to the “Big Fire” on July 25, 1892 most of the business district was

destroyed. Before the towns spirits had been restored since the “Big Fire”

another fire on June 23, 1932 was caused by a small boy playing with matches.

The water supply was plentiful in both occasions and could've stopped the fires,

but the screens in the reservoirs had not been replaced after cleaning therefore

making the water pipes clogged with mud and rocks. Houses built up in the

mountains and barns farther down the dirt road, are still standing today.


As I walked through the now National State Park with my family during our 2009

vacation, the feelings really were overwhelming. The durable buildings still very

much in one piece and many items such as iron, steel, copper and fire wood
just lying around the park grounds do give a person feelings that only visiting

Bodie could help them comprehend.


The air is thin and the roads are rough. Bits of grass here and there and no

trees. Rock is the main structure of the land and the smells of the town change

with every step you take down these very old dirt roads. From musty rooms of

the few buildings you can actually walk into, to the fresh mountain air. Bodie, a

very real ghost town. The view of this old town from high up on the hill really

gives visitors a reason to be in awe.


It means a lot to know the park Rangers are doing all they can to preserve a

piece of history such as Bodie. However, the government of California, for

whatever reasons, feel it would be best to close down many State Parks in

California. On July 1, 2009 there will be a meeting held to decide if Bodie

should be one of those State Parks that the government closes down. I

personally feel Bodie is not only scenic and spacious but an educational park

that generations to come should have the opportunity to experience. Let's hope

that the government of California makes a decision for Bodie instead of against

it.