Bodie, California
This town has everything we know and love about old west mining towns. Bodie is the largest unreconstructed ghost town in America (thrillist.com 3). It was established in 1859 by William S. Bodey when he found gold throughout the region (thrillist.com 3). Their population soared from “20 miners to some 10,000 during the California Gold Rush” (thrillist.com 3). This is quite the expanse for the time period but when there is a healthy economy, communities as a whole grow rapidly. At the height of the town, there were “roughly 200 restaurants, 70 saloons, and a red-light district” (thrillist.com 3). Life was good!
Unfortunately, like many towns during the Gold Rush, once the gold was gone, so were the people and all of the thriving businesses. By 1942, the last mine had closed, the last nail in the coffin of this town (thrillist.com 3). Today, however, the town is under the protection and maintenance of the National Historic Site, which is under the California parks system (thrillist.com 3). Many of the buildings still stand and still have all of the original furnishings in them, exactly as they were left many years ago. The pool tables inside the saloons are still there with the balls and cues, the general store even has items on their shelves! (thrillist.com 3). And during the summer months, guests can take guided tours through the Standard Mill to see an old gold mine and see how the extraction process works (thrillist.com 3). Being able to walk through the streets, see the furnishings still as they were left, and go through an old mine can really take you back in time and imagine how these peopled lived, worked, and built up the town into what it was.
